Overview

The Cabin Sessions is a confronting, hard-hitting, dark psychological thriller told with acid wit. Themes of abuse are explored through minds distorted by fear and corrupted by hatred and delusion; this is a tale in which redemption is gained in unexpected ways. It's Christmas Eve when hapless musician Adam Banks stands on the bridge over the river that cleaves the isolated village of Burton. A storm is rolling into the narrow mountain pass. He thinks of turning back. Instead, he resolves to fulfil his obligation to perform the guest spot at The Cabin Sessions. He should be looking forward to it, but fear stirs when he opens the door on the Cabin's incense-choked air. Philip Stone is already there, brooding. He observes with a ruthless eye the regulars, from sleazy barmaid Hannah Fisher, to old crone Cynthia Morgan. Meanwhile, Philip's sister, Eva, prepares to take a bath. It's a ritual - she's a breath holder. At twenty-eight, Eva has returned to Burton to finish the business of her past, as memories begin to surface concerning one fateful day by the river and the innocence of her beloved brother...

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Reviews

But bad news awaits him and as the story unfolds it ... Set in a fictional Australian setting akin to that found in Melbourne's Dandenong Mountains this deeply atmospheric novel starts with an astrological omen. As Adam crosses the river guitar in hand a storm is brewing one that could see him trapped in The Cabin for hours. Struggling against a rising panic he continues his journey to The Cabin Music Session unwilling to let his mentor Benny Muir down. But bad news awaits him and as the story unfolds it is not the worst the fateful evening will hold. Told from third person viewpoints of Adam and Philip, the town's plumber, the evening is mapped out in slow eerie detail - that at once manages to evoke Burton's fanatical cult history while also acting as a harbinger of the disaster to come. In between these two male viewpoints, is the delicate first-person voice of Eva, the breath holder, whose recollections shed an unsettling light on the characters in The Cabin. This is a delicately balanced psychological novel, its horror not so much in the events of the evening (as shocking as they are) but in the sinister histories and disturbed mental states of its characters. I don't normally ready such dark fiction but found myself gripped in horrified fascination by Blackthorn's subtle story build and accomplished prose. This is a must read for all who like to be profoundly disturbed by their fiction or for others, like me, who are simply keen to see the best of what this genre can hold. Great story to read with plenty of characters that you ... Great story to read with plenty of characters that you meet through the pages. Loved the plot lines and interactions between the various characters too - very much what happens in the open mic space! The setting of the novel is well selected and when reading the pages, I can just imagine the venue, the town and the people from those neck of the woods! A good read for people who like to bury themselves in a good book and absorb the emerging story lines and happenings. Five Stars A gripping story that I really enjoyed .

But bad news awaits him and as the story unfolds it ...Set in a fictional Australian setting akin to that found in Melbourne's Dandenong Mountains this deeply atmospheric novel starts with an astrological omen. As Adam crosses the river guitar in hand a storm is brewing one that could see him trapped in The Cabin for hours. Struggling against a rising panic he continues his journey to The Cabin Music Session unwilling to let his mentor Benny Muir down. But bad news awaits him and as the story unfolds it is not the worst the fateful evening will hold. Told from third person viewpoints of Adam and Philip, the town's plumber, the evening is mapped out in slow eerie detail - that at once manages to evoke Burton's fanatical cult history while also acting as a harbinger of the disaster to come. In between these two male viewpoints, is the delicate first-person voice of Eva, the breath holder, whose recollections shed an unsettling light on the characters in The Cabin. This is a delicately balanced psychological novel, its horror not so much in the events of the evening (as shocking as they are) but in the sinister histories and disturbed mental states of its characters. I don't normally ready such dark fiction but found myself gripped in horrified fascination by Blackthorn's subtle story build and accomplished prose. This is a must read for all who like to be profoundly disturbed by their fiction or for others, like me, who are simply keen to see the best of what this genre can hold. Great story to read with plenty of characters that you ...Great story to read with plenty of characters that you meet through the pages. Loved the plot lines and interactions between the various characters too - very much what happens in the open mic space! The setting of the novel is well selected and when reading the pages, I can just imagine the venue, the town and the people from those neck of the woods! A good read for people who like to bury themselves in a good book and absorb the emerging story lines and happenings. Five StarsA gripping story that I really enjoyed .

Author Information

Isobel Blackthorn is an Australian author and educator. Her novels Asylum (2015), The Drago Tree (2015) and A Perfect Square (2017), are all published by Odyssey Books, along with her short story collection All Because of You (2017), previously released by Ginninderra Press in 2012. A Spanish translation of The Drago Tree will be released by Odyssey Books September 2017. In December 2017, HellBound Books are releasing her dark psychological thriller, 'The Cabin Sessions.' In 2018, Odyssey Books will be releasing La Mareta, the sequel to The Drago Tree. Isobel's writing has appeared in journals and websites around the world, including Paranoia Magazine, Mused Literary Review, Backhand Stories, Fictive Dream and On Line Opinion. Isobel's interests are many and varied. A humanitarian and campaigner for social justice, in 1999 Isobel founded the internationally acclaimed Ghana Link, uniting two high schools, one a relatively privileged state school located in the heart of England, the other a materially impoverished school in a remote part of the Upper Volta region of Ghana, West Africa. Isobel has a background in Western Esotericism and she's a qualified Astrologer. She holds a PhD from the University of Western Sydney, for her research on the works of Theosophist Alice A. Bailey, the 'Mother of the New Age.' After working as a teacher, market trader, and PA to a literary agent, she arrived at writing in her forties, and her stories are as diverse and intriguing as her life has been. Isobel performs her literary works at events in a range of settings, gives workshops in creative writing, and writes book reviews. Her reviews have appeared in Shiny New Books and Newtown Review of Books. She talks regularly about books and writing on radio, in Australia, and in the UK and Canary Islands. British by birth, Isobel entered this world in Farnborough, Kent, as Yvonne Margaret Grimble. She has since been Yvonne Rodgers, before changing her name completely in 1996 to Isobel Schofield. After a number of years as Isobel Wightman, she is now very happily and permanently Isobel Blackthorn. Isobel has lived in England, Australia, Spain and the Canary Islands. She now lives near Melbourne with her daughter and her cat, Psyche. She is currently at work on her second horror novel and her first work of historical fiction.

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