One misstep at a dinner party and the older man she's been staying with dismisses her with a ride to the train station and a ticket back to the city. With few resources, but a gift for navigating the desires of others, Alex stays on the island. She drifts like a ghost through the gated driveways and sun-blasted dunes of a rarefied world, trailing destruction in her wake.
Taut, sensual, and impossible to look away from, The Guest captures the latent heat and potential danger of a summer that could go either way for a young woman teetering on the edge.
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(@ChattoBooks, 18 May 2023, e-book, 304 pages, #ARC from the publisher via @NetGalley)
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I really enjoyed The Guest. I didn't like Alex or at least I didn't want to, but the author got me to root for her. I was on her side hoping things would work out for her. Alex is a strange person, aimless, a bit of a drifter, a taker who can work her way into people's lives to get what she wants. She's not likeable but I found myself sympathetic to her, nevertheless. I found this book sad at time as Alex gets closer and closer to burnout, skirting real danger as she puts her trust in strangers and her own instinct for survival. This is a compelling read.