The Retreat, Elisabeth de Mariaffi
The Retreat, Elisabeth de Mariaffi
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

The Retreat

Author: Elisabeth de Mariaffi

Narrator: Erin Moon

Unabridged: 10 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/20/2021


Synopsis

A "gorgeously written and atmospheric thriller" following a woman on a long-awaited visit to a mountain arts retreat—where she soon finds herself trapped  among strangers and in a deadly race to survive (Robyn Harding).

“Magnificently absorbing and haunting . . . With a dabble each of Hitchcock thriller, cozy mystery, and domestic noir, The Retreat offers a terrifyingly fun read.” —Amy Stuart, author of Still Water

She came looking for inspiration.
Instead, disaster strikes. Maeve Martin arrives at the High Water Center for the Arts, a gorgeous lodge nestled deep in the Rocky Mountains, determined to do one thing: begin her own dance company. A retired performer and mother of two, time is running out for her to find her feet again after the collapse of her disastrous—and violent—marriage. And at first, there's a thrill to being on her own for the first time in years. Isolated in the snowy beauty of the retreat, Maeve can forget the ghost of her past for an hour, for a day.
 
But when an avalanche strikes, Maeve finds herself trapped with six other guests. They’ve lost all power, phone service, heat, and the road back to town. At first, there’s a sense of camaraderie—the fire is warm, the freezer well-stocked. But as the days pass and the storm rages on outside, tensions start to run high. Help is coming, so they just have to hold on, right?
 
Then the first guest meets an unspeakable death.

Followed by another.
 
Soon Maeve must admit how little she knows about these strangers . . . and how useless a locked door is if the darkness is already inside.

About Elisabeth de Mariaffi

ELISABETH DE MARIAFFI’s debut book of short stories, How to Get Along with Women, was longlisted for the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Her poetry and short fiction have been widely published in magazines across Canada. Her first novel, The Devil You Know, was named one of the Best Books of 2015 by the Globe and Mail and the National Post. The Globe and Mail also chose her most recent novel, Hysteria, as one of the Best Books of 2018. Both books were shortlisted for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. Elisabeth de Mariaffi lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with the poet George Murray and their four children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Terrie on April 28, 2023

"The Retreat" by Elisabeth de Mariaffi is a read I coulda, shoulda, woulda passed - but didn't! Mauve, a retired dancer, is at 'High Water Center for the Arts' a retreat in the Rocky Mountains to refresh and refocus before beginning her new career directing her own dance company. Mauve and her two c......more

Goodreads review by Kayla on November 05, 2021

Let me start off by saying this book has one of my favourite thriller tropes - a locked room mystery with a snowy back drop (An Unwanted Guest, The Guest List, and One by One anyone?). Any book with that premise immediately has my attention and I will most likely read it knowing full well there are......more

Goodreads review by Literary on July 12, 2021

With a nod to Agatha Christie, THE RETREAT spins a dark and twisty tale set in a gorgeous lodge in the Rockies. Maeve Martin, a retired dancer who wants to start her own dance company, heads to the High Water Center for the Arts for a creative retreat. She’s left behind an abusive marriage and longs......more

Goodreads review by Crystal on July 31, 2021

I enjoy a good whodunit mystery. Plus the chilly setting and claustrophobic atmosphere should have made this book a win. Unfortunately it just takes way too long for anything suspenseful to happen. Even after the avalanche, the pacing is incredibly slow and nothing of note happens for awhile. My att......more

Goodreads review by Belle City Book Lady on June 29, 2021

I received this as an ARC through Goodreads. (Thank You!) and I could not wait to devour this. A few strangers? An out of the way mountain lodge? Everyone snowed in each with their own demons? Well, YAAAAASSSSS PLEASE! But oh (Tears falling...) Oh Oh no (Little sobs...) no (Sniffle) It didn't live up......more


Quotes

“A magnificently absorbing and haunting novel. . . . De Mariaffi’s spare yet deeply rich prose renders the isolation and claustrophobia of the mountains downright palpable. With a dabble each of Hitchcock thriller, cozy mystery, and domestic noir, The Retreat offers readers a most thrilling setup followed by a galloping sprint to the final page. What a terrifyingly fun read.”—Amy Stuart, author of Still Water

“A gorgeously written atmospheric thriller with hidden depths, The Retreat will have readers racing through the pages, trying to decide who to trust, until the chilling finale.”—Robyn Harding, internationally bestselling author of The Swap

“Take a group of artists, ambition, isolation, and violence, and add a twist of the coldest, snowiest winter you’ve ever known, and you’ll arrive at The Retreat. Yet de Mariaffi’s heart-stopping thriller is powered by more than suspense—Maeve, her resourceful main character, is a mother and dancer piecing her life together after an abusive marriage, and Maeve’s journey through the novel’s danger and betrayals becomes a genuine act of grace.”
 —Maria Hummel, author of the Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine pick Still Lives

“This vivid, immersive story had me jumping at shadows. The isolated setting, the tension between the characters, the sense of danger unravelling in a place there is no escape from. Suspenseful and atmospheric, it will keep you questioning which is the biggest threat - nature or people, outside or in.”
 —Helen Cooper, author of The Downstairs Neighbor

 “Elisabeth de Mariaffi delivers the requisite heart-in-mouth moments of pure paranoia, but she balances these thrills with shrewd character studies and the odd nugget of wisdom.”—New York Times Book Review, on The Devil You Know

“Magnificent and daring . . . A gripping page-turner on one hand, The Devil You Know is also literary in its unwavering focus on the complex portrayal of the psychology of its main character, and in its illumination of broader issues around violence against women.”—Los Angeles Review of Books, on The Devil You Know