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A review by phantasmaboo
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Woman in Cabin 10 follows journalist a journalist named Lo as she investigates the disappearance of a woman in the cabin next to her; a woman that no one else remembers seeing.
Overall, I love the premise of the book, but I do wish that Lo had a bit more agency in the story than she was given. It seemed as if many things happened to her rather than because of her.
Another issue I had was the pacing. While I think it was overall okay, the beginning and end of the book seemed to drag on forever. That’s not to say that there’s no payoff for that (particularly for the end), but it just seemed long. The beginning narrative, however, really only seems to set up Lo as an unreliable narrator and is barely mentioned other than to cast doubt on her story. I found this to be unnecessary, as it wasn’t built in enough for me to believe that Lo was an unreliable narrator.
Another thing I will mention was that the author uses some fatphobic language and seems to glamorize “skinny” characters. It’s not something that ruined the book for me, but it was present throughout.
Still, it was an enjoyable read and I couldn’t stop reading once I got to the last 20% of the book or so. I would recommend it!
Overall, I love the premise of the book, but I do wish that Lo had a bit more agency in the story than she was given. It seemed as if many things happened to her rather than because of her.
Another issue I had was the pacing. While I think it was overall okay, the beginning and end of the book seemed to drag on forever. That’s not to say that there’s no payoff for that (particularly for the end), but it just seemed long. The beginning narrative, however, really only seems to set up Lo as an unreliable narrator and is barely mentioned other than to cast doubt on her story. I found this to be unnecessary, as it wasn’t built in enough for me to believe that Lo was an unreliable narrator.
Another thing I will mention was that the author uses some fatphobic language and seems to glamorize “skinny” characters. It’s not something that ruined the book for me, but it was present throughout.
Still, it was an enjoyable read and I couldn’t stop reading once I got to the last 20% of the book or so. I would recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Murder and Suicide
Minor: Fatphobia