The Cabin at the End of the World (2018) is a novel by Paul Tremblay that tells the story of a couple named Andrew and Eric. Together with their adopted daughter, 7-year-old Wen, the three of them rent a cabin in the middle of nowhere to rest and rejuvenate. Initially, their vacation goes well; however, when a mysterious group breaks into their cabin and ties the three up. The group, led by a man named Leonard, proclaims that an apocalypse is coming, and only the family can stop it by sacrificing a family member. Leonard and his group then proceed to sacrifice themselves one at a time to prove what would happen if they were to keep refusing to pick a family member to kill. A story portraying many questions and creating a telling and deceptive plot.
The Cabin at the End of the World was adapted into a film titled Knock at the Cabin, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Released in 2023, the film was a financial success but received middling reviews. Critics pointed out that the changes Shyamalan made from novel to film were in poor taste and that Tremblay's novel was largely better and more cohesive.
A multiple times best-selling author, Tremblay's novel received very positive reviews when it was published. The novel, which became a bestseller very quickly, also appeared on several lists that discussed the best books of 2018. Kirkus Reviews wrote a glowing review of the novel. They called it "A blinding tale of survival and sacrifice that matches the power of belief with man's potential for unbridled violence." It was nominated for the GoodReads best horror of 2018 and received the Bram Stocker Award also in 2018 for its incredible uniqueness and phenomenal writing style.
