The Guest

Reminiscent of a Sophia Coppola movie

I would describe The Guest by Emma Cline as atmospheric and quietly upsetting (in a good way).

I read The Girls, Emma Cline’s first novel, when it came out in 2016. I loved it, so I pounced on The Guest as soon as it appeared on Netgalley. The plot, time period, and subject matter are very different, but The Guest keeps the same vibe of dark shadows lurking just out of view on an otherwise [seemingly] sunny day that The Girls had. The main character, Alex, is spending her summer in the Hamptons with her wealthy, older boyfriend, but finds herself adrift when she makes a social faux pas at a party. Cast out of the relative safety of her boyfriend’s house, Alex tries to evade the wolves of her former life while also contending with her new homelessness and pill addiction.

Though nothing objectively “bad” happens to Alex during her ghostly sojourn around the staff entrances of the Hamptons, the entire narrative has a feeling of dark foreboding and quiet destruction. I felt so deeply unsettled by all ~300 pages of The Guest, and after a brief perusal of Goodreads and Twitter, I’m happy to see I am not alone. Alex makes poor decisions at every turn and manipulates (or at least attempts to) everyone with whom she comes in contact. I found her irritating, cringey, frustrating, and completely captivating. I am sure, if I were to meet her in real life, that she could manipulate me into low-key move in with me for a while, so I found this book slightly terrifying. I love unsettling atmospheric stories and The Guest sits well in this genre. Next time I want more upsetting banality, I will return to Emma Cline’s work.