BwogBooks is the booksy side of Bwog as staff writer, Maren Frey, covers Columbia University alumni books, ranging from memoirs to short stories to historical fiction. Emma Cline’s The Guest, a National Bestseller is this week’s review. 

Sometimes, when it comes to a good summer read, you just want to be transported to a summery location with a rich story. That is truly the case with Emma Cline’s The Guest. Set in the luxurious and elusive summer vacation spot of the wealthy, The Hamptons, Cline’s newest novel follows Alex, a former call girl who is dumped by her wealthy boyfriend, Jonathan, prior to his upcoming Labor Day party.c

The third of Emma Cline’s publications, following the bestsellers The Girls and Daddy, The Guest borders on psychological fiction and mystery. After the first few pages of the novel, it becomes clear that the protagonist, Alex, is on the run. From what, you may ask? Well, both her past and a former friend (and possible lover), Dom, whom she owes money to and who is constantly sending her menacing and ominous text messages.

After Alex is kicked out of her ex-boyfriend’s home and dropped off at the train station to be sent back to NYC, she quickly devises a plan to stay in the Hamptons until Jonathan’s Labor Day party, where she will show up unannounced, win her ex back, resolve her debts with Dom, and live happily ever after. However, what ensues in the next few days before the party is a series of flawlessly executed cons involving a colorful cast of characters as she searches for a place to stay. Alex moves from reconnecting with a high school boyfriend who has a complicated relationship with his father to pretending to be a family friend of a wealthy young boy at his country club, where she has snuck in. However, as Alex infiltrates these rich people’s snow globe-like lives, she is constantly harassed by Dom for his repayment.

Cline was inspired to write The Guest after spending part of a summer in The Hamptons following her graduation from Columbia’s School of the Arts. The visual descriptions of the beach and restaurants are vivid and transport readers right to the East End of Long Island. These descriptions are perfectly woven into Cline’s story, which keeps you on the edge of your seat. Described as “sharp as a scalpel” by the New York Times, The Guest is one of the best books to read when in need of a thrill.

Images via author and Wikimedia Commons