NO Spoilers.
But if you keep reading the reviews, someone will give the plot away. Not Me.
Stop reading reviews and go enjoy this mysterious chiller.
The novels of Peter Swanson never disappoint me, and this has such a doozy twist, I was actually stunned. It took a few minutes, reading back through the pages, to figure out what was happening.
Such a treat for readers!
Intriguing, mysterious, creepy, grim, sad, haunting - with well rounded characters and even a wrapped up ending, the police adding the bow.
"I defy you to stop reading The Christmas Guest once you begin." - New York Times Book Review. ...I didn't.
Ashley is an American studying in England, at a loose end with no family at Christmas. Befriended by Emma, she is invited to a posh country house in the Cotswolds to spend the holidays. This is all recalled as we read through her diary 30 years afterward, the story mostly told through her detailed entries. Ashley recalls developing a crush on Emma's twin brother Adam as soon as they met, the distant yet controlling parents, and taking walks in the woods. Mainly the friends spend time in the pubs, where Ashley is mistaken for another girl, who was tragically attacked and killed in the woods months ago. The police are investigating Adam, but another girl says she was with him that night. A menacing bearded man is seen in the woods, and the girls report him to the police. Between the large manor house, the spooky woods, and her attraction to Adam, Ashley feels like she is living an old Gothic Romance!
As December 24th approaches, Adam has enough of family and returns to London, but will meet Ashley and Emma once more at the pub - and the girls make the deadly mistake of cutting through the woods.
This is the halfway point of the novella, for there is a twist you won't imagine. So fun to be surprised. The story continues - we are back in present day - and all the events are put into perspective.
Swanson manages to pack a lot into this novella, adding a different meaning to the title Christmas Guest. This succeeds on many levels and I found it really entertaining, but be warned it is a grim tale - don't go playing in the dark woods behind Stephen King's house if you aren't prepared for it.
It was interesting to read a modern, un-nostalgic Christmas story, as the arrival of Christmas can be a blessing and a curse. If something bad happens at that time of year, how do you avoid the yearly onslaught of festive cheer? This is for those who love to curl up reading a tale in front of the fire, and those who would rather grumble bah-humbug and give it a pass.
My other reviews of Peter Swanson:
Every Vow You Break
2023 / Hardcover / 93 pages
I will certainly search for this. Neeru