The Last Trip Summary, Characters and Themes | Kiersten Modglin

The Last Trip by Kiersten Modglin is a psychological thriller that explores themes of trust, manipulation, and survival within the confines of a seemingly idyllic getaway. 

The story follows Sadie and her fiancé Calvin as they set out on a babymoon trip to a remote mountain cabin, hoping to heal their fractured relationship and prepare for their unborn child. But beneath the surface, dark secrets from Calvin’s past and mysterious behaviors from those around them begin to unravel their fragile peace. With alternating perspectives and a mounting sense of paranoia, the novel masterfully blends suspense and emotional depth. The story culminates in a harrowing confrontation that forces Sadie to reclaim control over her life and future.

Summary

Sadie, pregnant and hopeful, plans a babymoon with her fiancé Calvin, eager to find peace and reconnect before their child arrives. 

But the trip begins with tension after Calvin reveals that he has received an unsettling email from a woman claiming to be his daughter, Janelle.

Though disturbed, Sadie insists they proceed with the vacation to the isolated mountain cabin, hoping the trip will help them move forward.

Calvin’s past is gradually revealed through his memories. 

Once a college professor, he began an inappropriate relationship with Sadie when she was his student. His manipulations, lies, and deceit laid a troubled foundation for their relationship, secrets Sadie is only beginning to comprehend.

They arrive at the cabin to find it owned by an elderly couple, Norma and George, whose overly friendly but intrusive presence unsettles Sadie. Their constant, uninvited visits and strange behavior create an atmosphere of surveillance and mistrust.

As the days pass, Sadie’s discomfort grows. She notices suspicious noises, shadowy figures outside, and the relentless presence of the homeowners, which Calvin tries to downplay.

Meanwhile, Calvin receives veiled warnings from colleagues, hinting that his past indiscretions at the university are catching up with him. This adds to the tension between the couple, who are already strained by the stress of impending parenthood and the shadow cast by Janelle’s unexpected appearance.

Sadie’s paranoia intensifies as she contemplates meeting Janelle. She worries about Calvin’s hidden past and what this new woman means for the family she hopes to build. Calvin, meanwhile, is increasingly uneasy, torn between his constructed façade and the truth that threatens to surface.

Moments of emotional vulnerability between Sadie and Calvin offer brief respite, but the couple remains trapped in an undercurrent of suspicion and fear.

The arrival of Janelle escalates the unease. Janelle’s behavior is erratic and unpredictable, raising doubts about her identity and intentions. It becomes clear that things are far more complicated than they first appeared.

The elderly couple’s constant surveillance and intrusive questions suggest a deeper, more sinister agenda at play in the cabin’s remote isolation.

Revelations come fast: Calvin has been living a double life. He is married to another woman and has deliberately orchestrated this trip to manipulate both Sadie and Janelle.

His past as a predatory professor and the true nature of his relationships with both women emerge, shattering Sadie’s trust. Worse still, Calvin confesses that impregnating Sadie was part of a twisted plan to control her and claim the baby.

As the psychological tension reaches its peak, Calvin’s behavior turns violent. A confrontation culminates in Calvin attacking Sadie, revealing the full extent of his manipulative and dangerous nature.

Janelle, despite her own traumatic history with Calvin, intervenes fiercely to protect Sadie, leading to a violent clash that finally breaks the cycle of control.

The arrival of emergency responders signals a turning point. Calvin is subdued but survives, while Sadie faces the aftermath of trauma and betrayal.

Choosing strength over bitterness, she decides not to press charges, seeking instead to reclaim her life on her own terms.

Alone but empowered, Sadie gives birth in the hospital, embracing motherhood with a newfound resilience.

The Last Trip ends on a note of cautious hope. Sadie’s survival is a testament to her courage, and though the scars remain, she refuses to be defined by Calvin’s darkness.

Instead, she steps into her future as a single mother, ready to build a life grounded in truth, safety, and her own strength.

Characters

Sadie

Sadie is the emotional core of the story, a pregnant woman caught in the turbulent web of her relationship with Calvin and the dark secrets surrounding their pasts. She is portrayed as vulnerable yet resilient, balancing the anxiety of impending motherhood with the unsettling revelations about Calvin’s past.

Sadie’s emotional journey is deeply layered—she starts hopeful, looking forward to a babymoon as a way to strengthen their bond and prepare for their child. However, the discovery of Calvin’s secret daughter and his history of deception shakes her sense of trust and safety.

Throughout the narrative, Sadie wrestles with feelings of betrayal, fear, and paranoia, especially heightened by the strange behavior of the cabin owners. Despite the psychological and physical trauma she endures, Sadie’s ultimate decision to refuse pressing charges against Calvin and to embrace single motherhood speaks to her strength and determination to reclaim her identity and future beyond the shadow of abuse and manipulation.

Calvin

Calvin is a deeply flawed and complex character, whose charm initially masks a manipulative and predatory nature. He is introduced as Sadie’s fiancé but is slowly revealed to have orchestrated much of the turmoil for his own selfish ends.

Calvin’s backstory as a college professor involved in an inappropriate relationship with Sadie, then compounded by his secret double life—including a marriage and a hidden daughter, Janelle—paints him as a deceptive and controlling figure. His manipulation extends from emotional control over Sadie to a sinister plan to take custody of the unborn child.

Calvin’s character embodies themes of abuse of power and toxic masculinity. His violence, culminating in a physical attack on Sadie, reveals the extent of his dangerous nature. Despite this, his moments of vulnerability and his complex relationship with Sadie also add depth to his character, showing a man trapped in his own web of lies and destructive behaviors.

Janelle

Janelle is a pivotal character whose arrival marks a turning point in the story’s tension and mystery. Introduced as Calvin’s daughter, her presence complicates Sadie and Calvin’s fragile relationship and adds layers of suspicion and conflict.

Janelle’s erratic and unpredictable behavior suggests she is also a victim of Calvin’s manipulations, suffering from her own trauma connected to him. Her protective intervention during Calvin’s violent assault on Sadie shifts her role from a potential threat to an ally, highlighting themes of female solidarity against abuse.

Janelle’s complicated identity—as both a source of conflict and a figure of support—makes her a nuanced character whose own pain reflects the broader consequences of Calvin’s destructive choices.

Norma and George

Norma and George, the elderly owners of the cabin, serve as an eerie and unsettling presence in the story. Their intrusive behavior and seemingly friendly facade mask a more sinister undercurrent that contributes to the growing paranoia experienced by Sadie.

They act almost as symbolic gatekeepers of the isolation and suspense that envelops the couple during their trip. Their persistence in asking personal questions and lurking around the cabin heightens the psychological tension and contributes to Sadie’s sense of being watched and trapped.

While their exact motivations remain ambiguous, Norma and George represent the external pressures and unknown dangers that amplify the characters’ internal struggles and suspicions.

Themes

Psychological Complexity of Manipulation and Deception Within Intimate Relationships

At the core of The Last Trip lies a chilling exploration of how manipulation operates in close relationships, particularly in the context of power imbalances. Calvin’s calculated deceit—posing as a professor, concealing his past, and orchestrating an elaborate control over Sadie—exemplifies the insidious ways predators embed themselves in the lives of their victims.

The novel doesn’t simply depict manipulation as a momentary act but rather a sustained psychological warfare, where trust is methodically dismantled and rebuilt to serve the abuser’s agenda. This theme exposes the destructive impact of emotional and psychological coercion that can permeate the most intimate bonds, emphasizing the blurred lines between affection and control.

Sadie’s internal struggle reflects how victims often wrestle with conflicting emotions: love, betrayal, hope, and fear, complicating the path to recognizing abuse and escaping it.

Haunting Persistence of Past Traumas and the Cyclical Nature of Abuse

Throughout the novel, the past relentlessly intrudes into the present, highlighting how trauma—especially that inflicted through predatory abuse—does not simply fade but evolves and recurs in new forms. Calvin’s hidden history, revealed through flashbacks and escalating betrayals, embodies the way unresolved past misdeeds create ripples of destruction over time, affecting not just the perpetrator but also multiple victims across different stages of life.

This cyclical dimension is accentuated by the relationships among Calvin, Sadie, and Janelle, whose lives are entwined by trauma passed down and reactivated in the claustrophobic setting of the cabin. Sadie’s reflections on her own family background, including her mother’s dementia and emotional absence, further illustrate how personal histories shape identity and resilience.

The theme underscores the difficulty of breaking free from cycles of abuse, suggesting that healing requires confronting both internal scars and external threats.

Isolation as a Catalyst for Psychological Deterioration and Revelatory Truths

The novel’s physical setting—a remote, snowbound cabin—functions as more than a mere backdrop; it acts as a metaphor for the isolating effects of abuse and secrecy. The isolation magnifies Sadie’s vulnerability and paranoia, stripping away external supports and forcing an intense confrontation with her psychological state and her surroundings.

The eerie presence of Norma and George, the intrusive neighbors, accentuates the claustrophobia and distrust permeating the environment, symbolizing how isolation breeds suspicion and the unraveling of safety. Within this seclusion, hidden truths surface, both in Sadie’s realizations and in the unmasking of Calvin’s sinister motives.

The theme illuminates the dual role of isolation as both a weapon wielded by abusers to control victims and as a crucible in which painful realities are revealed, catalyzing transformation or tragedy.

Struggle for Autonomy and Identity in the Face of Systemic and Personal Oppression

Sadie’s journey is also a profound meditation on reclaiming agency amid forces that seek to diminish it—whether through Calvin’s manipulative dominion, societal judgment, or the pressures of impending motherhood. The novel explores how Sadie’s sense of self is repeatedly challenged by external impositions: Calvin’s lies, the threat to her unborn child, and her own fears and vulnerabilities.

Yet, despite the layers of control and betrayal, Sadie’s ultimate decision to reject Calvin’s shadow and embrace single motherhood symbolizes a fierce assertion of autonomy and self-determination. This theme addresses the broader issues of how women, especially those subjected to abuse and manipulation, navigate reclaiming their identity and power in worlds often structured against them.

It reflects the tension between victimhood and empowerment, emphasizing survival not just as endurance but as active resistance and rebirth.