Aww, stories about couples in love heading out into the countryside for a romantic weekend away from it all are always a favourite of mine. So picking up the excellent Weekend Getaway, I was excited to hear how a lovely couple of lovebirds rekindled that spark to bring their relationship to a whole new level of mush.

OK, that whole intro is a lie. I don’t like romance stories, and I certainly knew that this was going to be nothing like one. In fact the only truth in the above paragraph is my describing the book as excellent.

This short novel, or probably more like novella, got the scares on pretty darn early. John and Rachel are heading out to a remote cabin in the woods because their relationship sure could do with it. And from the journey there you can tell that everything is a little ‘off’.

Come on, this is a horror story after all, things ain’t going to go swimmingly are they?

I have to admit, I’m struggling to write this review, because the less said the better. I don’t want to give anything away. Yes the couple are terrorized, yes there seems like no escape, yes things don’t turn out quite as expected.

John is recounting the story to his grandson following the funeral of John’s wife. The book cleverly intertwines the two narratives, ie then and now, making you believe one thing but slapping you round the face like an ignorant fool when it comes to the big reveal.

So instead of describing anything too plotty, I’m just going to urge you read it for yourself. The deserted cabin in the woods is nothing new in the horror genre, but if anything your prior knowledge of the cliché makes the events seem even more imaginable. The audience know something’s amiss as soon as the characters do, but we have the luxury of being able to close the book if the horrors become too real. Not that you would, though. The writing is gripping, and the descriptions of the bad stuff are definite toe-curlers.

Torture, rape, insanity, death, and some woods. What’s not to love?

Categories: book review

Tags: book review, cabin in the woods, death, gore, horror, scary, terror, tom deady, violence, weekend getaway