The Chalet by Catherine Cooper

 

THE CHALET

"The Snow Is Hiding More Than Just Secrets"

Author: Catherine Cooper

Release date: November 12th, 2020

Number of pages: 388

Four friends go on a skiing holiday they'll never forget. The Chalet was a book that immediately caught my attention when I was browsing in Waterstones due to the intriguing cover and tagline, and I knew I had to buy it. What follows is a journey through The French Alps as we try to discover what happened one fateful night when 2 men get trapped in a snow storm and only one returns. 

Plot details

The story starts back in 1998 with two brothers, Adam and Will, who are staying at La Mediere resort with their girlfriends, decide to go skiing with a guide during a vicious snow storm. Tragedy strikes when only one of the brothers makes it back to the La Mediere resort, but no body is found. Fast forward to 2020, and we are introduced to 4 new characters: Ria and Simon, who are heading to La Mediere with Hugo & Cass in the hopes of getting the latter to invest in their business, however they arrive in the middle of a vicious snow storm...sound familiar? As we're introduced to the workers of La Mediere, we are also transported back to 1998, revealing what happened in the lead up to the night where Will went missing through narratives of both brothers and the girlfriends Louisa and Nell. What unravels there all leads back to the 2020 timeline when a body is found after an avalanche, and it turns out that Ria, Simon, Hugo and Cass may know more than they've been letting on. And what about the mysterious out of context chapters depicting a neglected child? Who is that and how is that relevant?

No-one is as they seem and everyone knows something they shouldn't, how long until the truth is set free over the snowy mountains?

My thoughts

This was by far one of the best and most gripping books I have ever read. I couldn't put it down. The setting is brilliant, the ski lodge being cut off from civilisation by a snow storm brings around that feeling of isolation with nowhere to run. The characters, as unlikeable as they are, all make up for it by their deep backstories. You can tell Cooper really cared about fleshing out these characters, she done a brilliant job really making us eager to figure out who knows what. 

The plot carries on faster than skiing down the Alps so you're never left bored or contemplating skipping some pages to get to the good stuff. There's a lot of subtle clues throughout the book that are enjoyed more on a second read once you reach the thrilling and shocking conclusion.

The double/triple time line works very well, despite my initial hesitations. You're left asking all the right questions and every single one of them is paid off.

I really cannot recommend this book enough, it's fast, thrilling, fun and dark all at the same time. The perfect book to curl up with on a cold Winters night.

No secret stays buried for long.

5/5