The Woman in Cabin 10 introduces us to Lo Blacklock and I hate her already just on the basis of that name. Lo has a somewhat faltering relationship with a boyfriend and one night while he is away from their apartment, the place is burgled and she is attacked. This, for obvious reasons, leaves her in a somewhat fragile state.
Lo is a journalist who works for a travel magazine and her new assignment is to spend time on a cruise ship, the Aurora, traveling in the North Sea. The weather is pleasant. The ship's cabins are plush and luxurious. There are only a few guests and they are all elegant and jovial. So not exactly a sentence to hard labor.
But then the changeable North Sea weather turns frigid and gray, stormy skies close in, and in the midst of this, Lo witnesses a horror scene; she sees a woman being thrown overboard.
Or did she? Lo Blacklock is the very definition of an unreliable narrator. I can understand why the other passengers and the ship's crew would have a hard time believing her.
So what is really going on here? Is Lo being gaslighted? Is she truly delusional and just imagining it all? She's been taking antidepressants and drinking quite a lot so it definitely seems likely that her sense of reality is somewhat impaired. Moreover, there is no documented passenger missing from the boat. Was there ever actually a woman in cabin 10?
The plot and tone of this book brought pleasurable memories of my days as a teenager reading Agatha Christie mysteries. (Yes, I can actually remember that far back!) Those were the days and the books that made me a confirmed reader and especially a confirmed reader of mysteries. I think Ruth Ware must have enjoyed those books as well.
This is the classic locked-door mystery. It's a ship in the middle of the North Sea so we know the killer is on board. And what, if anything, does any of this have to do with the original mystery of the break-in at Lo's apartment?
I would have enjoyed the book more if I could have found the main character a bit more likable. As it was, I just found Lo irritating, especially the constant emphasis on her emotional state and her overindulgence in alcohol. But overall, it was a pleasant way to spend some downtime while I recovered from illness.
Sounds like Lo might have prolonged your illness, Dorothy! Hope you are fully recovered by now.
ReplyDeleteNot completely recovered but I'm getting there thanks to a lot of help from modern meds.
DeleteI gave this one 2 stars on Goodreads. Reviewed that the protagonist was an unlikeable drunk, not qualified for her job, and spoke to people in a nasty way! The author is either a 4-5 for me, or a 1-2. So, I keep giving her a chance.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I struggled a bit over what rating to give this one. I've read some of Ware's books that I've liked better so I know what she's capable of. But I agree that the protagonist here was "low" in more than just her name!
DeleteFeel better soon, Dorothy!! Nice review of The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. It seems like I'm the only person that hasn't read this novel! I like mystery novels, but have been concerned that this novel won't live up to the hype... Plus, The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware seems to be so similar to other novels like The Girl on the Train,
ReplyDeleteYou are not wrong about that. It seems there have been several popular novels in recent years that have had similar themes.
DeleteThis one reminded me of one of Christie's novels, too, only not as good. Maybe because I guessed the big twist at the end very early on. And some of the sequencing of certain scenes and chapters threw me off a little. I didn't hate Lo, but I didn't love this book either.
ReplyDeleteWell, Christie is still the Queen of Mystery. She has no peer.
DeleteBack in 2018 (I looked it up, thinking it was only last year), I read A.J. Finn's The Woman in the Window, and I had similar problems with it since the main character is extremely unreliable due to excessive alcohol and pill consumption. Although I did like Finn's book overall, after reading your review, I'm going to leave this one alone. I'm just not in the mood to deal with a pill-popping drunk.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, if I had known more about the protagonist up front, I might not have read it either.
DeleteI remember trying to read this book. Could not get interested in it.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a good day, Happy Mothers Day!
"I read this book about a week ago and when I finally sat down today to write a review, I found that I could barely remember it. That's probably not the best recommendation for a book that I have ever made." Lol!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that you have been sick, Dorothy. I hope you are feeling much, much better now.
Was this Ware's first book? I remember when it came out but I let it pass at the time. Love the idea of the story. I think it sounds enjoyable - especially while being sick. Great book cover too. Hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteIt was actually her second. "In a Dark, Dark Wood" was first.
Delete