The Woman in the Cabin by Becca Day
The anticipated new thriller by the author of The Girl Beyond the Gate has landed.
Write a prologue or not? That is the question. This prologue ignites the reading brain with unanswered questions and the reader in a state of confusion. You have to turn that page. Is the prologue necessary? I'll tell you at the end of the review.
I loved this fast-turning thriller, centred on the relationship between Cal and Mary. A compelling narrative takes the reader deep into warped relationships, how they shape an individual’s personality and how they justify the worst of behaviours to a fellow human being.
Multi-points of view provide a prism of life in an isolated cabin. The power that Cal has over women. They are moulded into his perfect visualisation of a wife. Obedient, dedicated to cleaning and caring for him. There is no love. The wife, Mary has no free will it has been drained from her, she has no agency, and her role is to satisfy Cal.
Becky Day weaves the threads of lives Cal has shaped, with dexterity with this Mary the spider caught in his web. We feel Mary’s pain and the women Cal has touched. Yet, we are aware that Cal is a damaged soul, his father a shadowy figure, whispers the abuse and hurt he showered upon Cal as a small child.
The twists and turns build with each chapter as we are given the pieces to solve the final puzzle. We shuffle through the nuggets given as facts. As the reader builds their conclusions using the facts we take as the truth. Why would the author lie to us?
The novel ends with hope before that point you have to live in Mary’s skin feel her pain as we realise that nothing is as you think it is. Making assumptions is as dangerous when reading this chilling thrill of a book as in real life.
The prologue is an integral part of the book. It is not an opening chapter. It allows the reader both a glimpse of what has happened before the start of the book and though we do not know it yet foresight.
The Woman in the Cabin by Becca Day published by Bonnier Books
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Published October 23rd 2024, a gripping psychological thriller with surprising twists and turns. It is a compelling page-turner for the dark nights as winter approaches.
About the Author: Becca Day lives in the middle of the woods in Surrey. The inspiration to write crime is from running her own Murder Mystery theatre troupe after studying acting at Guilford College. In addition to writing her novels, she inspires fellow writers as Head of Membership at Jericho Writers.