By Gianna Ferace ’25
In Emma Cline’s, The Guest, our main character is a fragile young woman struggling to stay afloat in the deceptively perfect world in the Hamptons. I first read this book last May, right before summer began, and it immediately became one of my all time favorite reads. Almost a year later, I’m here to review it and maybe convince you to add it to your reading list. Whether you’re going to head to The Book Shop of Beverly Farms and order it so you can start reading it straight away, or it’s going to stay on your bedside table until Memorial Day Weekend, you’re not going to want to miss The Guest.
What I love so much about this book is that our protagonist is very real and honest. She attempts to project an image of cool and carelessness to the characters around her, but as readers, we get a glimpse into her inner mind and watch as she verges closer to a breakdown, unbeknownst to everyone around her. The Guest uses wealth and luxury to hurt the protagonist, showing us money and glamor does not equal pure happiness and that even in the affluent world of the Hamptons, there is rot under the wealthy suburbia. Alex (our protagonist) is an outsider to the Hamptons and is attempting to escape the ugly reality of her life and leeches of the wealthy but highly oblivious residents. She’s portrayed to be in a constant state of anxiety and despair. She is haunted by herself and subsequently haunts those who enter her life. She’s a willfully destructive heroine and as readers, we feel dread as her story continues.
The Guest ends rather abruptly. While at the end of most books, plots are cleared up, story lines are done and we have come to understand the character and can shut the book with closure, that’s not what happens here. Alex’s journey in the Hamptons is over with her not having a true ending. We aren’t sure where she is heading now that the summer’s over and she is as mysterious at the end of the novel as she was to us in the beginning. But that’s what makes this novel so intriguing and such a good read. The details of scenery are well written and easy to visualize, making this book digestible and enjoyable (along with the twisting plots). If you’re looking for a new book to start the season off with, let it be The Guest.
