The Cabin

My initial impression upon beginning this book was that the pacing was far too fast and shallow. I would have liked to see more depth into the characters/story and spend much more time in each scene. Whenever I became engaged in a scene, it abruptly ended. But as I progressed through the book, I began to see it as this author's way of telling his story, a solid one at that. It reads more like a series of short stories loosely tied together into an overall story. The setting in the wilderness outside of Fairbanks is fantastic, the story an authentic one, the drama roller coasters up and down so rapidly I got whiplash. The details surrounding the building of the cabin and subsequent survival in the Alaska wilderness over the winter were a genuine strength of the novel; I did feel like I was along for the dangerous adventure. Another strength was the frequent incorporation of italicized inner monologue of the main character that shed light into his emotions and thoughts. While even in my most adventuresome days I would not have attempted this, reading this novel did give me a feeling of the experience.

An adventure of extremes -- THE CABIN is a story of survival in a wilderness that allows no mistakes, Alaska. Sue and Anna want to escape from everyday life, and ask Ethan to join them. They need his strength, knowledge, and protection. Anna is a woman whose problems become exasperated by claustrophobia due to the cold and darkness making their survival even more questionable. THE CABIN is an exciting story and all the way through you wonder what will happen next. Based on the true-life experience of the author -- Walt Honsinger has painted a picture of a beautiful but dangerous place. He skillfully describes how they survived in temperatures as cold as 50 below. I highly recommend this book - it is a must read for any adventurer and a wonderful view of our northern most state.