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Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,
The Woman in Cabin 10 is Ruth Ware's second novel. It is published by Scout Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. In this twisty tale of suspense, we are introduced to a travel journalist, Laura "Lo" Blacklock. She is set to attend the maiden voyage of a small luxury liner, the Aurora Borealis, in her boss' stead. The trip could not come at a better time, since Lo has recently been burglarized and injured. She does not feel safe in her apartment. Even staying at her boyfriend Judah's home does not work out so well. What she needs is time away. And a cruise is the perfect escape.
Once on board, Lo is feeling better as she takes in the small ship's opulent decor. The crew is friendly and very helpful, adding to her ease. Claustrophobic, Lo dreads her cabin but is pleasantly surprised by the room's size and the view from the cabin's veranda. The night is filled with awkward encounters, lots of alcohol, and a growing exhaustion for Lo. Finally asleep in her cabin, she is startled awake by what she believes to be a scream. Hyper-vigilante after her home invasion, Lo is on edge and checks the veranda. She stares into the ocean and sees what looks to be a hand drifting under the water. Turning to Cabin Ten's veranda she sees something on the partition, a smear of blood.
The Woman in Cabin 10 cleverly presented us with a troubled protagonist whose alcoholism and dependence on anti-depressants sparked doubt in me. There were times when Lo's inner demons and emotional troubles shifted me away from believing her story. I loved Ware's willingness to present a deeply flawed and often self-conscious lead character. Lo's story was layer upon layer of interesting tidbits that played with the narrative, pushing us deeper into the claustrophobic atmosphere of the mystery. But nothing was more intriguing than the format of this novel. Separated into eight parts, Ware presented glimpses of the future at the end of each part. Using news articles, social media posts, and emails, we were shown the world outside of the cruise. These posts served up many clues and kept me excited about the story unfolding at sea.
I read this novel in part with the narration of actress, Imogen Church. Her presentation was fantastic. There were times when I felt that more than one person was reading this book. Her various voices and accents added depth to Ware's words. I thoroughly enjoyed her work.
I gave the Woman in Cabin 10 four out of five stars. It was a fun and exciting read that hooked me and reeled me in. In the end, the reveal and Lo's fight for survival had me on the edge of my seat.
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