The Cabin At The End of the World is the second book I have read by Paul Tremblay. I am picking up on his style a little more with this book. And I am picking up on his flare to have his words punch you in the gut, slam your face on the table, and ram a dull, rusty knife into your back. This book made me feel all those things (in the best way possible, of course!)

The first couple of pages start off just describing any old day of a little girl collecting grasshoppers in the front yard. Then out of nowhere you find yourself clutching your chest and holding your breath dying in anticipation while your anxiety beings to rise. When this giant of a strange man tells the little girl, "None of what’s going to happen is your fault.” WHAT? A few more strangers arrive and that anxiety level never really dissipates throughout the rest of the book. Page after page we are exposed to these strangers who think the world is going to end and somehow this little girl and her parents are the solution to save it. Again…what?!

As the story unfolds and the intentions of the strangers become more transparent and explained, I could not help but just feel extremely untrustworthy, paranoid, and anxious. Tremblay’s way of writing kept me wide-eyed turning pages and I now know this is how Sebastian felt when reading The Neverending Story. I was on a mission to find out as much as possible and what was going to happen while at the same time trying to savior each stress-inducing paragraph that ultimately weighed the differences between sacrifice and survival.

I also love the way that Tremblay wrote the main family. We have Wen and her two dads. And I love how we see some of the events through the eyes of Wen as well as the way she sees her parents making sense of what’s happening. It’s just such an interesting and, in my opinion, honest look at a family and what they would do in a situation like this to protect themselves. Wen is my spirit animal and I absolutely love her!

Any type of “invasion” story always has my pulse racing, whether it is a movie, book, or show. The psychological suspense of this book, guys! And then the parts that made me gasp and scream, “NO!” I highly recommend this book even though I think it took a small piece of my heart… FIVE stars on this one for me! And the next time you are out helping a young kid collect grasshoppers or caterpillars, just be mindful of your surroundings…