A grieving mother and son hope to survive Christmas in a remote mountain cabin, in this chilling novella of dread, isolation and demons lurking in the frozen woods. Perfect for fans of The Only Good Indians, The Shining and The Babadook.
Two weeks ago, Christine Sinclaire's husband slipped off the roof while hanging Christmas lights and fell to his death on the front lawn. Desperate to escape her guilt and her grief, Christine packs up her fifteen-year-old son and the family cat and flees to the cabin they'd reserved deep in the remote Pennsylvania Wilds to wait out the holidays.
It isn't long before Christine begins to hear strange noises coming from the forest. When she spots a horned figure watching from between frozen branches, Christine assumes it's just a forest animal—a moose, maybe, since the property manager warned her about them, said they'd stomp a body so deep into the snow nobody'd find it 'til spring. But moose don't walk upright like the shadowy figure does. They don't call Christine's name with her dead husband's voice.
Christmas is not the most wonderful time of year when you're in mourning, and that is how we find Christine and her teenage son in this gripping story of grief horror. Christine blames herself for her husband's recent death. She insisted on helping him hang the Christmas lights. If not for that, they would be preparing to spend the holiday as a family, in the remote cabin he reserved. Instead, it's just Christine and her son Billy, along with the family cat headed into the mountains. The relationship between mother and son is strained, and she is sure that it's because he wishes it was her that died instead of his father.
I think you would need to be in the right head space to handle this book. It's not something I would recommend if you already have holiday depression. There is a lot of emotional pain and suffering in this novella. It's not your typical family stranded in the snow with possible monsters in the woods. It's no ordinary creature feature or slasher. There are supernatural elements, but the main focus is grief and guilt and loss. Christine is plagued by intrusive thoughts. She is starting to hear voices before their road trip even begins, and her grief is heavier than the snowfall that keeps them trapped at the cabin. Once there she begins to see a horned figure that shape shifts from semi human to possible animal. She has been warned about the dangers of moose in the area so she tries to convince herself that's what she's seeing. But the mind is a powerful thing, even when it's broken. Maybe even more so. I could feel how alone she felt, even with her son in the room. This was a quick read that left me unsettled and hurt my heart.
4 out of 5 stars.
My thanks to Titan Books.
