The Guest
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I loved this book so freaking much that I bought it twice! Well, kind of. Devin knows that The Girls is one of my top-picks, so when he saw that Emma Cline was coming out with a new book, he pre-ordered it to get husband points. Those points were promptly negated when he hid the book to give me later as a surprise only to forget about it entirely. Fast forward a few weeks, and I purchased it myself like a true stan. Both hardcovers, so we’ve given dear Emma a collective $60.
And ya know what- it’s worth it. Take all my money, Emma, your books are divine. When I think of true literature, this is what I envision. The story is kind of about nothing but the writing is so vivid that it totally sucks you in. It follows a broken young woman, Alex, as she traipses through Long Island, lost both physically and psychologically. There is nonstop tension and cringe-worthy moments because Alex is truly delulu and she can be very unlikeable, but the uncomfyness of it all is part of the allure. Cline’s prose brings Alex to life and I simply had to know how she’d fare. It was all-consuming and intense and if you don’t read this book, you’re dumb.
One thing that Emma Cline does very deftly as a writer is bring in a hazy, haunting quality without being annoyingly opaque. Alex is written from a third-person perspective and that distance makes her slightly unknowable, just out of reach. It’s hard to grasp the reality of the situation that she’s in, and that creates a level of stress that sets a fast pace. It’s almost like one long fever dream– but in a good way! Trust Queen Cline. The Guest receives 5 out of 5 flames.
