"The House Guest" by Alison James

 

 

 

 

 

"The House Guest" by Alison James is a convoluted psychological thriller that revolves around multiple points of view and is set in the UK. It's the second book by this author that I read, and it certainly won't be the last. The book is divided into seven parts, each following several characters from their perspective: Juliet, her husband Hugh, Belinda (her good friend), and Alexis (the house guest). Each section is written in the first person from a different character's point of view.

Meet Juliet: she is half-Italian and lives with her husband on his family estate. She has a son from a former relationship who lives with his father in Italy. One day, she receives a message from a woman named Alexis, claiming to be a distant cousin of Hugh's, which she initially ignores. Things come to a head when Alexis shows up at their house unexpectedly while Juliet and Hugh are hosting a dinner party. She claims she is transitioning between flats, so Hugh invites her to stay with them until her new apartment is ready. Juliet is unhappy with this, particularly as Juliet is an attractive woman, but she grits her teeth. The plot thickens when threats are made against them from an unknown source, and Alexis appears to have no intention of leaving.

With themes of friendship, family, infidelity, and trust, the author has crafted an intriguing tale. The characters are well-rounded and come across as genuine. Each of them has their own secrets and agendas, and tension steadily rises with every new twist. The house itself becomes another character around which everything revolves. Juliet was the only character I liked and rooted for; the rest, I despised.

I enjoyed the book, but it didn't deliver nail-biting suspense. It started off well, and I liked the first sections; the writing was solid. However, it dragged in the middle due to the literary device used. I appreciated how the author seamlessly integrated the stories of the protagonists. Nonetheless, while I liked the fact that the story was told from different perspectives, describing the same situation from different characters' points of view made the story somewhat repetitive. In a few places in the middle of the book, the momentum sagged a bit as a result. Additionally, some choices and actions by the characters were unbelievable and irrational.

Overall, I enjoyed the book despite its flaws and was surprised by some of the twists. It held my interest throughout, and the ending was mostly satisfying. I would rate the book 3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to 4, and recommend it to those who enjoy stories written from alternating character points of view.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.

* For more info about the book: "The House Guest" by Alison James