January 2019 Group Read with Guest Author, Paul Tremblay

[Katy]

I read this late last year.

It was an intriguing book, ,one that kept you off balance, not knowing what was to come.

[Rai]

Finished it off yesterday! I have a question for Paul that might have to wait until a few more people are finished too as I'm not sure if it'd count as spoiler-y. Working on a review/write up shortly; giving myself time to digest fully.

[Kasia]

Looks like I'm reading all the right books in January!

[Paul]

Judy wrote: "Hello, Paul- I listed to CABIN on audio. I honestly think I should have just read it. Are you able to give us your honest opinion of the audio version?"

I haven't listened to it to be honest but I have heard complaints that the voice isn't great. I would've loved to have read it. That option has not been granted to me by the publisher, unfortunately.

[Paul]

Char wrote: "Paul, I would love to know what authors have influenced your writing?"

Oh jeez it's a long list. Stephen King made me a reader, so he's first and foremost. But other writers who never fail to inspire me are Joyce Carol Oates, Peter Straub, Clive Barker, Shirley Jackson, Kurt Vonnegut, Liz Hand, Victor LaValle, John Langan, Laird Barron, and so many more.

[Paul]

While, I'm here....

FIRST CHAPTER THOUGHTS/SPOILERS/EASTER EGGS BELOW

(view spoiler)[ The first paragraph is a riff on the opening paragraph of The Lord of the Flies. The stories are not similar but I wanted to start the book with that book in mind, I wanted how that book made me feel to seep into my book.

The number of grasshoppers are important. Or they are to me anyway.

Leonard was named after Lenny from Of Mice and Men.

Wen sitting on the grass across from Leonard hopefully recalls an icon scene in Frankenstien (film, 1931), with the monster sitting by the pond with a little girl. Initially I wanted to have some illustrations included with the book because of that scene, but it never materialized.
(hide spoiler)]

[Meli]

Oh wow, those are awesome easter eggs! I am not very good at picking up on easter eggs in books as much as in movies or shows, so I did not catch those.

(view spoiler)[I read Lord of the Flies this past summer just before your book, so I am disappointed I didn't notice, but now that you've revealed that influence I can recall the opening for both and see the connection.

I loved Of Mice and Men and it is the only book of 2 that made me cry.

I also love Frankenstein, that is my favorite classic horror story which I reread last year. I love that reference! (hide spoiler)]

[Michael]

Guess I'm guilty as well. I did not catch a single one of those Easter eggs. Thanks for sharing those, Paul.
I'm getting ready for a second reading, and I'll be looking for those now.

[Paul]

No need to apologize! I don’t expect folks to see things like that. I put them in to entertain myself mainly. ;)

[Krystal]

Paul wrote: "While, I'm here....

FIRST CHAPTER THOUGHTS/SPOILERS/EASTER EGGS BELOW."

Yep I missed all of those, except one:

(view spoiler)[I wondered if it was a bit symbolic having 7 grasshoppers trapped in a jar when there were 7 people trapped in the cabin. It really felt like everyone was doomed! (hide spoiler)]

Lenny is such a fascinating character and I really love the initial interaction with Wen. Such an intriguing hook!

[Judy]

Paul, thank you so much for answering my question. I’m impressed by your honesty. I suspect a lot of authors would have gone with a party line to sell more audiobooks. I wish you had read it!! Great story, though. Really thought provoking!

[Kimberly]

Krystal wrote: "Paul wrote: "While, I'm here....

FIRST CHAPTER THOUGHTS/SPOILERS/EASTER EGGS BELOW."

Yep I missed all of those, except one:

[spoilers removed]

Lenny is such a fascinating character and I really..."

That was the only one I kept thinking about... ;) (view spoiler)[ Only I was thinking of the seven deadly plagues. (hide spoiler)]

[Latasha]

well i missed them too! i thought about the second one...is that something important..but got too wrapped up in the story to connect it.
@Kimberly, ohh! that was a good one!

[Jennifer]

I'm dreadful at spotting things in books, but I did notice the shirt colours *pats self on the head.

I'm all finished! I'll wait for others to read some so I'll keep popping in to see what others think and join in the discussion.

I really enjoyed this one, which the speed that I read it it proof as I'm generally a slow reader. I hope others enjoy it too!

[Nancy]

Krystal wrote: "Paul wrote: "While, I'm here....

FIRST CHAPTER THOUGHTS/SPOILERS/EASTER EGGS BELOW."

Yep I missed all of those, except one:

[spoilers removed]

Lenny is such a fascinating character and I really..."


I was thinking the same thing about the number of grasshoppers.

[Alan]

Hey Paul,

Love those Easter Eggs. I'm sorry I didn't pick up on any of them.

Awhile back I got into discussions about the book on FB with other readers. Some of them were unhappy with the ending, but I argued that they were missing the point of the story. The ending itself didn't matter because the central themes of the story were family bonds, difficult choices and the conviction of one's beliefs. I felt the "truth" was more of a MacGuffin.

Now I know how one interprets someone's work is a personal thing, and there's generally more than one way to interpret it, but was I in the ballpark with your intentions?

[Paul]

Spoilers below about the empathy test, I mean, the ending!

(view spoiler)[Let me start by saying while I wrote an ambiguous ending, one that I hoped would also fit nicely (thematically speaking) with my previous two novels making for a three book arc, I assumed that most US readers--given their religious proclivities--would assume the world was going to end/was ending. I was and continue to be surprised by the group of folks who hate/don't get the end.

Anyway, some of the below will appear in the 'liner notes' section of CABIN's paperback (I'll also post this stuff online at some point so hardback readers can see it too). I'll only add that I considered almost every possible ending and I couldn't be happier with the one it has because it's the right one. ;)

"When I conceived of Cabin and during the first quarter of its life in my head, I had a much bleaker ending in mind. But for a variety of reasons including the presidential election, I couldn’t do it and didn’t want to do it. It wasn't right for the story; I needed to go out on a note of defiant hope. The movie The Terminator, of all things, helped me reshape the end of the book. That movie ends with Sarah Connor/Linda Hamilton in the desert, fleeing south, and a boy takes the Polaroid picture the nice man from the future (the father of her son) would then carry around with him in the future and bring back with him to the past. She’s sad because he’s dead and sad because Skynet is going to blow up the world, but… But. She’s still a badass. And she’s still going to fight. That’s defiant hope.

I could be petulant and say if you must admit you failed the book’s empathy test, feel free to add a line of your choosing to the end: “Then the world ended” or “Then the world didn’t end.” But I won’t be petulant. My defiant hope for you is that this book ultimately becomes about the choice Eric and Andrew make and not whether or not the world is actually ending. I mean, shit, their world has already been definitively shattered, don’t you think? The book is about the choice: do they and do WE choose fear or that most defiant of all hopes, love?"
(hide spoiler)]

[Tim]

Paul, first thank you for coming and discussing your book with us.
I agree with Alan when he said “ The ending itself didn’t matter because the central themes of the story were family bonds, difficult choices and the conviction of one’s beliefs”.
(view spoiler)[
You set the story up nicely by building each characters background making the decisions in the end that much more difficult. Erik and Andrews bond with their daughter couldn’t have been set up better from the beginning. Setting out to get her from a far and raise her with each of their different family ideals although centrally it’s love. Then at the end losing such a central character made it all that harder reading it. (hide spoiler)]

The book kept me on the edge of my seat having a daughter close to Wen’s age. Also living in NewHampshire the visualization of remoteness and lack of cell service was vivid.

[Paul]

Thank you, Tim!

I love NH and usually go there once a summer...despite what I wrote. ;)

[Kim]

I'm a slow reader, done with the first chapter. I love Wen and I really like Leonard. These characters are great. Can't wait to see how this goes...

[Michael]

I was okay with the ending. However, I will always prefer a more specific ending that ties up all or most loose ends. So much of current literary fiction ends ambiguously.
I understand the book better now that I've read Paul's explanation to us. After I read it for the first time, I assumed the ending might be just part of the Paul Tremblay style, as the ending of Head Full Of Ghosts also lets readers decide what was real and what was not.

[Elke]

Finished reading over the weekend. 'Cabin' actually was the first book in a long time that kept me awake for hours (like in younger days) - usually I fall asleep after a couple pages even with the best intentions and most suspenseful stories.

For a large part of the book, I desperately wanted to know what was going on and get answers to so many questions, and I was annoyed about how the four intruders seemed to accept their role so easily, and I missed their background stories. Only towards the end, especially after Sabrina told her story, did I realize that it was not at all necessary to get those answers. I was finally able (though still reluctant) to kind of 'let go' and instead keep a closer watch to the actions and reactions of each character (left). I am glad there was no definite explanation made at the end, as IMHO it would have been bound to disappoint one way or the other. As it is, in hindsight, I was able to enjoy the story's flow, something along the lines of 'the journey is the reward'.

What confused me at times was the changing POVs in the chapters that focused on more than one person, e.g. 'Eric and Andrew' at the end. The unfamiliar mix of 'I/he/we/us' and inline dialogue (without quotation marks) was challenging at times, but I was mostly able to recognize who was talking by what they said.

This was such a great start into a new reading year!

-> Review

[Krystal]

Elke wrote: "Finished reading over the weekend. 'Cabin' actually was the first book in a long time that kept me awake for hours (like in younger days) - usually I fall asleep after a couple pages even with the ..."

Kind of on that same note ...

(view spoiler)[I was quite curious as to the stylistic choice of mixing the tense from Andrew and Eric's POV. I really liked that it was 'us' vs 'Andrew' vs 'Eric' but was also major confused by it. I mean, I like to think I'm clever enough to see the symbolism in it, but I'd like to hear the rationale from you, Paul?

So much of what I enjoyed of this book was that not knowing whether it was real or all a delusion - that whole question of the realism of the situation. I really loved that, and how it got me thinking. (hide spoiler)]

[Nancy]

I liked the ending. I wasn’t bothered not knowing if the world really did end or not because for Eric and Andrew, their world was shattered regardless of an apocalypse or none. I was thinking through out that no matter what happens, they will never be the same.

I was on the edge of my seat through out. Even that first chapter had me on edge.

I liked that there was some instances that cast some doubt on the four intruders but still left you unsure if they were for real or delusional fanatics.

[Jennifer]

I had the same issues as Elke with the changing POV's. Especially at the beginning it was quite difficult to work out who was who as the writing style didn't change. I would have expected Wen to "speak" differently at the very least.

It would have made sense to use the regular, 1,2,3 chapters or just a ***** as a page break.

But, it didn't spoil the story for me at all.

I really liked the ending, for all of the reasons mentioned by others above!

[Patrick]

Just starting this now looking forward to reading it

[Meli]

I was satisfied with the ending, but (view spoiler)[I tend to be OK with ambiguity and do not need a clear conclusion to be content. I am sure some readers would be very frustrated, but to me (as you already mentioned) it didn't matter if the world was actually ending or not because for Eric and Andrew it was already over in a way. I also felt like the ambiguity preserved what I loved about the book in its vagueness and the speculation it aroused. It's like in some movies when the monster is finally revealed and it ruins the experience. Sometimes it's better not knowing. (hide spoiler)]

[Kimberly]

Personally, I LOVED the note it ended on. (view spoiler)[I felt that no matter what happened to the rest of the world, Eric and Andrew already lost much of theirs.... Their personal choice felt "true" to themselves as we knew them. But then, when a story leaves you on a note like that, I feel it stays in your mind longer, and YOU get to mentally take it where you want to from that point on. (hide spoiler)]

[Alan]

I think what makes Paul's books (at least the last 3) so spectacular and different from the majority of what's out there is the fact that the reader is challenged emotionally and to think for themself about what they're reading. Not everyone who actually attempts this pulls it off, but I feel Ghosts, Disappearance and Cabin all do it extremely well.

I appreciate not having everything wrapped up with a bow for me because the writing itself is executed so well. I find it more engaging to debate with myself and with others in a medium such as this as to what happened or what was intended by the author.

[Kimberly]

Alan wrote: "I think what makes Paul's books (at least the last 3) so spectacular and different from the majority of what's out there is the fact that the reader is challenged emotionally and to think for thems..."

I agree with you--the ability to challenge myself to think "what are the characters thinking right now", is part of the appeal of these books.

[Nancy]

Kimberly wrote: "Personally, I LOVED the note it ended on. [spoilers removed]"

Exactly! That’s how felt .

[Char]

Paul wrote: "While, I'm here....

FIRST CHAPTER THOUGHTS/SPOILERS/EASTER EGGS BELOW

The first paragraph is a riff on the opening paragraph of The Lord of the Flies. The stories are not similar but I wanted to..."

Regarding Wen sitting on the grass with Lenny. (view spoiler)[ You totally scored on that scene-Frankenstein is exactly what I thought of. (hide spoiler)]

[Char]

Alan wrote: "I think what makes Paul's books (at least the last 3) so spectacular and different from the majority of what's out there is the fact that the reader is challenged emotionally and to think for thems..."

Well said, Alan, and I feel the same. I love a book that makes me think and this one did.

[Melanie]

I'm still waiting for this to be returned at my library but am following along every few days, but please can people use spoiler tags? I don't want to know the ending before I read it.

[Lisa]

Melanie wrote: "I'm still waiting for this to be returned at my library but am following along every few days, but please can people use spoiler tags? I don't want to know the ending before I read it."

I feel you, Melanie, I just got my copy yesterday, but I can't seem to quite stay away from this thread entirely...

[Marti]

I just finished the first chapter and it's already hitting me hard with the building tension throughout Wen's first encounter with Leonard. Very excited to see where this goes!

[Elke]

Alan wrote: "I think what makes Paul's books (at least the last 3) so spectacular and different from the majority of what's out there is the fact that the reader is challenged emotionally and to think for thems..."

I definitely have to check out the other books now!

The beginning scene was my favorite, I loved the creepy tension with Leonard approaching Wen, though nothing bad happened so far (at first it reminded me of "Es geschah am hellichten Tag"). And the moment Wen realized she forgot to free the grasshoppers was so sad, to see how she cared for the critters while everything around her was falling apart and crying over them like that was the world's biggest problem at that moment, as only a child can do. It also seemed like a momentary escape for her, a focus on something outside the cabin and away from the horrors inside.

Off-topic: When I first encountered the title "Disappearance at Devil's Rock", it reminded me of a similarly titled movie I watched ages ago about a (school?) group of children (girls only ?) hiking and then one went missing or something, but I just can't remember it correctly. I think it played in the past as I have a picture of girls in old-fashioned dresses in mind.,,

[Paul]

."When I first encountered the title "Disappearance at Devil's Rock", it reminded me of a similarly titled movie I watched ages ago about a (school?) group of children (girls only ?) hiking and then one went missing or something, but I just can't remember it correctly. I think it played in the past as I have a picture of girls in old-fashioned dresses in mind.

Picnic at Hanging Rock. An excellent film and certainly an inspiration for the title. That movie and two other aussie flicks were big influence on Devil's Rock. A title I'm still not sure of (never start a novel without a title!), as it kind of sounds like Hardy Boys fan fiction. ;) Maybe that's not a bad thing?

[Kelly B]

I'm currently at 67%, and really enjoying it. It's so intense! I'm having a hard time putting it down. I'm hoping to sneak in some reading this afternoon at work;-).

[Aubrey0904]

Just finished the book! So glad the author is here-I loved it but I’m really loving reading his thoughts and intentions. I really connect with Eric because I had (honestly, still have) this underlying fear of...not sure how to articulate it, but I guess a bit of religious trauma that I’m constantly trying to shake. It still hangs out in my head....just waiting.... I saw myself in Eric’s thought processes and decision making a LOT. This book wasn’t what I expected but I’m so glad I read it, and I’m so impressed by how DIFFERENT his last three books have been. I think Head Full of Ghosts is still my favorite and always will be - SUCH a great book - but this was amazing. Beautiful writing, Paul! Thanks for being here!

[Paul]

Thank you, Aubrey! I think I have a little of both Eric and Andrew in me

[Latasha]

i read this last year ('18) it is one of my favorites for the year. my mom is listening to it now. She's afraid they are going to kill Andrew & eric because they are gay. i ask her if she wanted me to tell her and she said no. She said she likes it so far. yay!! we don't always agree on books but i love it when we do.

[Paul]

Latasha wrote: "i read this last year ('18) it is one of my favorites for the year. my mom is listening to it now. She's afraid they are going to kill Andrew & eric because they are gay. i ask her if she wanted me..."

thank you, Latasha. I hope the book works for mom!

[Latasha]

Paul wrote: "Latasha wrote: "i read this last year ('18) it is one of my favorites for the year. my mom is listening to it now. She's afraid they are going to kill Andrew & eric because they are gay. i ask her ..."

thanks!

[Kelly B]

I just finished the book, and really enjoyed it (if it's possible to enjoy a book where things like this happen;-).

I liked how the book ended. One thing I did wonder about was (view spoiler)[ whether or not Eric and Andrew's choice would have been different if Wen was still alive. Would they (or at least Eric) have thought it prudent to do the sacrifice "just in case", for Wen's sake? (hide spoiler)].

[Rai]

I enjoyed reading 'Cabin...' and 'Head Full of Ghosts' (read that in October) although I wouldn't call them horror as I didn't find them scary or disturbing. I feel like I may be a bit too cynical because these events in both books could - and most likely have - happened in reality. So I have a couple of questions for Paul (& anyone else) -

Firstly, did you write these to try and scare and unnerve the audience with the supernatural overtures or more to pull back the curtain on the terrible things that happen all around us?

Secondly, I notice that both books paint a very dim outlook on organised religion (particularly American Christianities), is that a reflection on you and your experiences or a handy thread to pull on that helps tell the stories you write?

[Paul]

Kelly B wrote: "I just finished the book, and really enjoyed it (if it's possible to enjoy a book where things like this happen;-).

I liked how the book ended. One thing I did wonder about was [spoilers removed]."

Thank you, Kelly. I can honestly say I never considered your question. (view spoiler)[I knew that Wen was going to die almost from inception of the story, so I didn't have to consider what Andrew and Eric would've done. I don't think they would have sacrificed anyone. I think having Wen gone made it more likely that one of them might say screw it, and do it. I think if she was alive it would've made it harder for the sacrifice? For me, the book ultimately is about us. We are Andrew and Eric (tis part of the reason why I went 'we' in the last chapter) and what is it we will choose? Do we give in to the fear and despair of our dark times or do we go on? (hide spoiler)]

[Paul]

Rai wrote: "I enjoyed reading 'Cabin...' and 'Head Full of Ghosts' (read that in October) although I wouldn't call them horror as I didn't find them scary or disturbing. I feel like I may be a bit too cynical ..."

With no hard feelings or malice intended (what a great way to open a sentence, eh?)--and speaking as a lifelong fan and consumer of horror--nothing annoys me more than 'oh, it wasn't scary, so it's not horror.' Keeeeyrist, you're going to find an absurdly small or nothing list of things that are horror then. You could pick any book or movie and find someone who didn't think it was scary. What is scary is so subjective. What scares you might not scare someone else (just like humor--what one finds funny someone else won't find funny). Horror isn't a scare. If it was, then the cheap ass jump scare movies would be the definition of the genre, which thankfully it isn't.

So no, I don't write with scares in mind. What is horror? I don't have the answer, I won't pretend I do either), much of horror for me is about the reveal of a terrible truth (personal, societal, or universal) and then my favorite horror stories ask, 'Okay, now what are you going to do? How do you live through this?' If I'm writing a horror story I go for dread, disturbing, unease; try to make them feel something.

If you prefer supernatural horror to nonsupernatural horror in your entertainment that's more than fine. But saying because something happened in reality makes it less disturbing or horrific isn't a factual statement, certainly not an objective one. To quote Merry of AHFoG: "What does that say about you or anyone else that my sister's schizophrenia wasn't horrific enough?"

Second question: Yup, both books critique organized religion and its particularly American strain. AHFoG more so than Cabin.

Sorry for the rant, but also, thanks for letting me rant! ;)

[Kenneth]

I have to second Paul's thoughts on "what is horror" and I'll go one step further and rail against the tendencies to label stories based off what sells. We touched a little on this topic in Lisa von Biela's group read. Through the years, horror has always been viewed as the vile, ugly stepchild that the masses railed against without knowing anything about. Don't believe me? Tell someone who isn't a horror fan that you like to read thrillers and look at the expression on their face. Then tell them that you enjoy horror and watch their expression change to something that looks like they bit into a lemon. It's unfortunate. So many great stories never get read simply because people dismiss them because they're labeled as horror. Now, take that same story and slap the thriller label on it and you stand a much greater chance of pulling in a whole lot more readers. And don't think that publishers and retailers don't know this. When Silence of the Lambs came out, it was labeled as a thriller. I'm sorry, but SOTL is a balls to the walls horror story (and movie) and calling it anything less should be a felony.

Paul, what are your opinions of the whole use of thriller vs horror label debate and the way publisher uses them?

[Alan]

Great "rant" Paul - you really hit the nail on the head about the misconceptions about what makes something "horror". Horror isn't just jump scares and monsters and ghosts. It's about thoughts and feelings and dread and sometimes how terrible reality can be.