Plot Summary
Moonless Gloom Beckons
On a moonless night by Lake Erie, a man searches for his lost dog, Rosie, on a desolate beach. The oppressive darkness is broken only by the harsh floodlights of a nearby power plant and the looming presence of an old hotel. As he wades into the water, a sense of dread overtakes him. He hears his dog's bark from the shore, but something else—something unnatural—brushes his ankle and drags him beneath the surface. The lake swallows him, leaving only the whisper of waves and the wind in the leaves. This chilling prologue sets the tone for the novel's blend of domestic unease and supernatural horror, hinting at the lurking dangers beneath the surface of both water and human lives.
Escape Plan Ignited
Sadie Miles, trapped in an abusive relationship with Sam Keller, discovers she is pregnant. The realization that a child would bind her forever to Sam fills her with terror. She quietly plans her escape, waiting for the right moment. When Sam leaves for work, Sadie seizes the opportunity, grabbing her daughter Izzy and a suitcase, and flees. The journey is fraught with anxiety, but Sadie's determination to protect her children propels her forward. After days on the road, she arrives in the lakeside town of Walton, hoping for safety and a fresh start. The word "escape" echoes in her mind, a fragile hope against the weight of her past.
L'Arpin's Unsettling Welcome
Sadie arrives at L'Arpin Hotel, seeking a housekeeping job and temporary refuge. The hotel's faded grandeur and odd staff—especially the sharp-eyed Gertie and the stern Mr. Drye—create an atmosphere of unease. Sadie witnesses a confrontation between Mr. Drye and Bill Viago, the power plant overseer, hinting at local tensions. During her interview, Sadie's anxiety is palpable, but she secures the job and a room for herself and Izzy. Gertie offers to watch Izzy, and Sadie, desperate, accepts. The hotel's strange energy, the kindness of strangers, and the ever-present threat of Sam's pursuit blend into a cocktail of hope and dread.
New Lives, Old Shadows
Sadie and Izzy begin their new life at L'Arpin, but the sense of safety is fragile. Sadie is plagued by memories of Sam's abuse and the constant fear of being found. The hotel's quirks—dripping pipes, odd stains, and the ever-watchful Gertie—keep her on edge. She forms tentative friendships with Mel, a young housekeeper, and Joe, the chef, but remains wary. The hotel's history and the strange noises at night feed her paranoia. Sadie's pregnancy is a secret, her finances are dwindling, and every phone buzz could be Sam. The past is never far behind, and the hotel's shadows seem to move with a life of their own.
Dripping Hallways, Hidden Fears
As Sadie works at L'Arpin, she notices persistent water leaks, odd stains, and a mildewy smell that seems to follow her. The hotel's age is blamed, but the water's warmth and the frequency of the drips unsettle her. One night, she hears something slithering in the hallway and glimpses wet trails that vanish by morning. Her anxiety mounts as she discovers blood in a bathtub and encounters guests who vanish without a trace. The staff dismiss her concerns, but Sadie's instincts scream that something is wrong. The hotel's secrets seep into her dreams, blurring the line between paranoia and reality.
Monsters in the Water
Sadie's fears take on a new dimension when she witnesses a woman drowning in the hotel pool—only for the woman to vanish without a trace. Later, Sadie sees strange, tentacled creatures in her bathtub, and the water itself seems alive. The hotel's plumbing becomes a source of terror, and Sadie refuses to let Izzy bathe there. The staff's indifference and the removal of security cameras deepen her isolation. The supernatural intrudes on the mundane, and Sadie realizes that the hotel is not just haunted by memories, but by something far older and more dangerous lurking in the water.
Paranoia and Disappearances
Mel, Sadie's only real friend at L'Arpin, suddenly vanishes. The official story is that she quit, but Sadie suspects foul play. Attempts to find evidence are thwarted—employee records are missing, and the staff gaslights her concerns. Other guests disappear, and Sadie's sense of reality frays. She becomes obsessed with the hotel's secrets, convinced that something monstrous is preying on the vulnerable. Her isolation grows as she is dismissed as paranoid. The line between victim and witness blurs, and Sadie is left questioning her own sanity as the hotel's darkness closes in.
Warm Waters, Cold Truths
Seeking respite, Sadie visits the nearby beach known as the Cut. The water is unnaturally warm, fed by outflows from the power plant. She notices strange creatures in the lake and encounters a group of local youths who seem oblivious to the danger. The beach, once a place of solace, becomes a site of dread as Sadie witnesses unnatural shapes moving beneath the surface. The power plant's role in the town's corruption becomes clearer, and Sadie realizes that the hotel, the lake, and the plant are all connected by something ancient and malignant. The warmth of the water is a warning, not a comfort.
The Cut's Dark Secret
Gertie reveals herself as more than a kindly old woman—she is the last of the Arpin family, the hotel's founders, and has lived for nearly two centuries. The spring beneath L'Arpin, once thought to be healing, is the source of the mutations and monsters. Gertie believes she is offering a gift, but her "help" is a curse. The hotel's history is one of failed experiments, disappearances, and cover-ups. Gertie's influence extends to the staff, and her obsession with Sadie's pregnancy takes on a sinister edge. The true nature of the hotel's evil is finally exposed.
Gertie's Offerings
Gertie's kindness turns coercive as she pressures Sadie to drink the water and "join" the family. She orchestrates events to keep Sadie trapped, even contacting Sam to lure her back. The staff's complicity becomes clear—Beth and Lewis are under Gertie's sway, and Joe's fate is sealed when he resists. Sadie's trust is shattered as she realizes she has been groomed for sacrifice. The monsters are not just in the water, but in the people around her. Gertie's vision of salvation is a nightmare, and Sadie must fight to protect her children from becoming part of the hotel's legacy.
Mel's Vanishing Act
Mel's disappearance is explained when she reappears as a monstrous, tentacled creature—one of Gertie's failed "successes." The transformation is both physical and psychological, erasing the person Mel once was. Sadie witnesses Mel's struggle for identity and her ultimate demise at the hands of Beth, who is herself succumbing to the water's influence. The horror of what awaits those who "join" Gertie is made explicit. Sadie's resolve hardens as she sees the cost of Gertie's vision. The hotel is a trap, and escape is the only hope.
The Power Plant's Watch
As the monsters begin to spill out of L'Arpin and into the town, Bill Viago, the power plant overseer, witnesses the chaos. Initially hostile, he becomes Sadie's ally as they fight to survive the onslaught. Together, they piece together the connection between the hotel, the spring, and the mutations. The power plant's construction disturbed the ancient forces beneath the town, and now the boundaries between worlds are breaking down. Bill's practical skills and Sadie's determination make them a formidable team, but the odds are against them as the monsters multiply.
Tentacles in the Tub
The infestation spreads—tentacled creatures emerge from drains, pipes, and even the snow outside. Sadie's attempts to seek help are met with disbelief or hostility. The hotel becomes a siege, with monsters lurking in every shadow. Sadie's pregnancy becomes a focal point for Gertie's plans, and the staff's true loyalties are revealed. The sense of isolation is total—Sadie can trust no one, and even her own senses are suspect. The horror is both physical and psychological, as the boundaries between self and other, human and monster, begin to blur.
Sam's Return
Sam tracks Sadie to L'Arpin, his presence a new terror layered atop the supernatural threat. His manipulation and violence escalate, and he becomes both a personal and existential danger. Gertie's machinations bring Sam into the heart of the hotel's darkness, hoping to force Sadie's compliance. The convergence of human and inhuman evil pushes Sadie to her breaking point. The fight for survival becomes a fight for her soul, as she must confront both her abuser and the monstrous legacy of L'Arpin.
Monsters Unleashed
The monsters, no longer content to hide, overrun L'Arpin and the surrounding town. Sadie, Bill, and Izzy are forced into a desperate alliance, using the power plant's machinery to destroy the hotel and seal the spring. The battle is brutal—friends and foes alike are lost, and the cost of victory is high. Gertie's vision collapses in violence, and the survivors must reckon with the trauma and loss. The destruction of L'Arpin is both a literal and symbolic breaking of the cycle of abuse and corruption.
The Cavern Below
Sadie descends into the cavern beneath L'Arpin, where the spring glows with unnatural light. Gertie, Beth, and the mutated staff await, hoping to force Sadie and her unborn child into the water. The confrontation is both physical and philosophical—Gertie pleads her case, but Sadie sees the truth. The monsters are not salvation, but a perversion of life. With Bill's help, Sadie triggers the collapse of the cavern, sealing the spring and ending Gertie's reign. The cost is immense, but the cycle is broken.
Gertie's True Intentions
Gertie's true motives are laid bare—her desire for family, immortality, and control. She is both victim and villain, shaped by centuries of loneliness and loss. Her manipulation of Sadie, the staff, and the town is exposed as a desperate attempt to stave off her own mortality. The final betrayal comes as Gertie tries to force Sadie's child into the water, but Sadie's defiance and Bill's intervention thwart her plans. The collapse of the hotel is both an ending and a beginning.
Collapse and Escape
As L'Arpin collapses, Sadie, Izzy, and Bill escape into the night. The monsters are sealed, but the trauma lingers. The authorities will never believe the truth, and the survivors must disappear. Sadie chooses independence, refusing to tie her fate to another man, and drives away with Izzy into an uncertain future. The final image is one of ambiguous hope—a green shimmer in the distance hints that the evil may not be entirely vanquished, but for now, Sadie and her children are free.
Characters
Sadie Miles
Sadie is a woman marked by trauma, resilience, and fierce maternal love. Fleeing an abusive relationship, she is driven by the need to protect her daughter Izzy and her unborn child. Sadie's psychological landscape is shaped by fear, guilt, and the constant tension between hope and despair. Her relationships—with Izzy, with the hotel staff, and with her own past—are fraught with mistrust and longing for safety. Over the course of the novel, Sadie evolves from a victim of circumstance to an active agent of her own fate, confronting both human and supernatural threats. Her journey is one of reclaiming agency, setting boundaries, and refusing to be defined by her abusers or her fears.
Izzy Miles
Izzy, Sadie's three-year-old daughter, is both a source of joy and a symbol of vulnerability. Her presence grounds Sadie, providing both motivation and emotional stakes. Izzy's innocence is contrasted with the horrors surrounding her, and her reactions—tantrums, confusion, moments of bravery—are deeply realistic. She is a catalyst for Sadie's decisions, and her safety is the axis around which the plot turns. Izzy's resilience in the face of trauma hints at the possibility of healing, even as she is marked by the events at L'Arpin.
Gertie Harper / Marguerite Arpin
Gertie is the last of the Arpin family, the hotel's founder, and the architect of its horrors. Having lived for nearly two centuries, she is both a victim of her own experiments and a perpetrator of monstrous acts. Gertie's psychological complexity lies in her genuine belief that she is offering salvation, even as she orchestrates suffering and death. Her loneliness, longing for family, and inability to accept mortality drive her to manipulate, coerce, and ultimately betray those around her. Gertie is both a grandmotherly figure and a Lovecraftian horror, embodying the seductive danger of unchecked power and the human need for connection.
Sam Keller
Sam is Sadie's ex-fiancé and the father of her unborn child. Charismatic, controlling, and violent, he represents the inescapable threat of domestic abuse. Sam's psychological hold over Sadie is insidious—he oscillates between remorse and rage, using guilt, charm, and violence to maintain control. His reappearance at L'Arpin escalates the stakes, forcing Sadie to confront both her past and her present dangers. Sam's ultimate irrelevance in the face of supernatural horror is a commentary on the banality and persistence of human evil.
Bill Viago
Bill is the overseer of the power plant and initially an antagonist, suspicious of L'Arpin and its staff. His brusque manner and hostility mask a deep sense of responsibility and a capacity for courage. As the supernatural threat becomes undeniable, Bill becomes Sadie's unlikely ally, using his knowledge of machinery and the town to help destroy the hotel and seal the spring. His development from skeptic to hero mirrors the novel's shift from psychological to cosmic horror, and his partnership with Sadie is one of mutual respect and necessity.
Mel Ross
Mel is a young housekeeper at L'Arpin and Sadie's first real friend in Walton. Her disappearance and eventual transformation into a monster are both a personal loss for Sadie and a symbol of the hotel's corrupting influence. Mel's struggle for identity, even as she is physically and mentally altered, is a poignant exploration of agency, loss, and the cost of survival. Her fate is a warning of what awaits those who fall under Gertie's sway.
Joe Mishra
Joe is the hotel's chef, a genial presence who tries to help Sadie and Izzy. His attempts to resist Gertie's plans and protect his friends ultimately lead to his death. Joe's arc is one of increasing awareness and helplessness, as he realizes the depth of the hotel's evil but is unable to escape it. His fate underscores the novel's themes of complicity, resistance, and the limits of good intentions.
Beth McCann
Beth is the head of maintenance and Lewis's daughter. Initially complicit in Gertie's plans, she is torn between loyalty to her family and horror at what she is asked to do. Beth's psychological struggle is marked by guilt, denial, and a desperate need for approval. Her eventual participation in violence is both a tragedy and a commentary on the corrosive effects of power and fear.
Lewis McCann
Lewis is Beth's father and the hotel's gardener. His confusion and resistance to Gertie's influence make him both a potential ally and a liability. Lewis's arc is one of increasing disorientation, as the water's effects erode his sense of self. His final act—saving Izzy at the cost of his own transformation—redeems him, but also highlights the novel's bleak view of sacrifice and survival.
Henry Drye
Mr. Drye is the hotel's manager, outwardly professional but ultimately a tool of Gertie's will. His attempts to maintain order and cover up the hotel's secrets make him complicit in its horrors. Drye's psychological profile is one of denial, rationalization, and a desperate need to please his employer. His death is both a punishment and a release, as he is finally freed from Gertie's control.
Plot Devices
Intertwined Domestic and Cosmic Horror
The novel's structure weaves together the intimate horror of domestic abuse with the existential terror of cosmic monstrosity. Sadie's flight from Sam is mirrored by her entrapment in L'Arpin, where the boundaries between human and inhuman, safety and danger, are constantly shifting. The use of water as both a literal and symbolic threat—leaks, drips, baths, the lake, the spring—foreshadows the hotel's true nature and the pervasiveness of corruption. The narrative employs unreliable perceptions, gaslighting, and the erasure of evidence (missing records, removed cameras) to heighten paranoia and suspense. The gradual revelation of Gertie's history and motives is achieved through a mix of direct confession, found documents, and supernatural encounters, building to a climax that fuses psychological and physical confrontation. The final destruction of L'Arpin is both a cathartic release and a Pyrrhic victory, leaving open the possibility that the evil is not entirely vanquished.
Analysis
The Cut is a masterful fusion of domestic thriller and cosmic horror, using the haunted hotel as a metaphor for the inescapable cycles of abuse, complicity, and generational trauma. Sadie's journey is both literal and psychological—her fight to protect her children from Sam and from Gertie's monstrous legacy is a fight for agency, selfhood, and the right to define her own future. The novel interrogates the seductive nature of "help" that is really control, the dangers of nostalgia and tradition, and the ways in which communities enable or ignore evil. Gertie is a tragic villain, her longing for family and immortality twisted by centuries of isolation and denial. The supernatural elements—mutations, tentacled creatures, the glowing spring—are both literal threats and symbols of the ways trauma infects and transforms. The ending is ambiguous: the monsters are sealed, but the green shimmer in the distance suggests that evil, like trauma, is never entirely destroyed—only survived, resisted, and, perhaps, someday overcome. The Cut is a chilling, empathetic, and ultimately hopeful meditation on the power of escape, the cost of survival, and the possibility of breaking free.
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