Alex is a drifter. Put up in an older man named Simon's glamorous New York estate, her every need is seen to, so long as she can maintain the role that is expected of her. When an otherwise unassuming dinner party at Simon's takes a turn, Alex is suddenly turned out back onto the streets with nothing but her broken phone and a history of long-burned bridges behind her.
For Alex, it's not just a question of where she'll go next: it's who she'll be next. And that, to put it simply, is whoever she needs to be to get by.
Set against the backdrop of summer on the East End of Long Island, "The Guest" was utterly spring-loaded with potential, but sadly failed to make anything imaginative out of Alex's story. Her drawn-to-glamour, morally-grey character felt very been-there-done-that, and despite the story being overall easy to fly through, by the end not much had happened from my perspective.
Cline introduces peripheral characters throughout the story that also had potential but fell flat and felt largely "unfinished" by the end of the story: what was their purpose for Alex, what were they after? Unfortunately, "The Guest" leaves these and--no spoilers here--another enormous question left wholly unanswered with subpar execution that left me wondering if Cline intended a deeper meaning in the story or not.
Overall lacking in the ingenue or explosiveness I was looking for in a story like Alex's, "The Guest" holds onto some nice pieces of suspense and makes for an easy read. Having not loved "The Girls," I'd say my reading journey with Cline's books likely ends here.
Rating: 3 Stars
Publication Details: Out 5/16/2023, Random House Publishing
*Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy!*
