“The Guest” is filled with mind blowing drama. (Courtesy of Instagram)

Emma Cline’s “The Guest” is equivalent to a whirlwind of drama one would expect to find in an early 2000s drama series. However, unlike “Sex and the City,” “The Guest” follows the trajectory of a somewhat troubled heroine, Alex. When I say troubled, I mean she is unlike the average person. But I think “average” is the last thing Cline had in mind when writing this novel. Not only is Alex a master of deception, she is written in such a way that makes the reader sympathize with her, even if they do not find themselves in similar situations — and, from my best guess, I’d say not many people would be accustomed to living a life similar to Alex’s.

When Alex’s rich boyfriend, Simon, kicks her out of his Long Island beach house, she takes “denial” to a whole new level. Confident that Simon will have to take her back at his Labor Day party, Alex stalls until then, for five short days that seemed to drag on for nearly 300 pages. On top of the recent breakup, Alex also discovers that her (possible) pimp, Dom, is out to get her. This journey, although risky and twisted, comes off as fun at the same time. Now, if I were living Alex’s life, I would be incredibly stressed, but as a reader and witness, her life is peak entertainment. 

One thing that makes “The Guest” a turbulent nail-biter rather than an experience akin to watching paint dry is Cline’s word choice and sentence structure. Each sentence gives the reader a deep dive into Alex’s mind, evoking constant emotion and curiosity. Cline’s prose has the same fluidity and passion as Taylor Jenkin Reid does in “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.” It is difficult to place this novel into a specific genre, as there is a sense of mystery in why Alex is the way she is and what she is specifically running from. Still, there is also a sense of drama that makes the reader feel they are being let in on the trials and tribulations of Alex’s life. Cline also allows space for imagination to the point where I found myself intrigued about what decision Alex would make next — whether this decision involved befriending a 17-year-old boy turned love interest or role-playing a nanny to get into a private beach club. 

Although we know Alex has made her fair share of mistakes — not putting up her share of apartment rent, stealing from her roommates and lying about said stealing — the reader can’t help but feel sorry for Alex. I actually found myself rooting for her. On the surface, Alex seems like an insecure, pill-popping 22-year-old woman whose only goal in life is to please others (especially men). However, she is just a girl trying to survive — at least until Simon’s Labor Day party. To bypass this waiting period, Alex does almost anything to feel like she belongs. If sneaking into a private beach club wasn’t enough, try house partying with teenagers or breaking into the house of a stranger’s ex-girlfriend. I won’t tell you how this course of events plays out, but let’s just say Cline makes it worth your while. As a woman reading this novel, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity with Alex, even though I had not experienced any of these situations. Cline is able to beautifully disguise the constant performance women have to put on in their everyday lives behind Alex’s scheming tactics. 

Although not all women may make sure to wipe away “the leftover ring on the table” or adjust their hair to a man’s taste to “keep everything in place,” it is certain that we do have to be calculated to belong. Alex is a vessel for these built up feelings imposed upon women by society, as Cline writes, “That was the point of Alex—to offer up no friction whatsoever.” However, this friction is inevitably exposed when Alex’s scheming does not go as planned, and sometimes, these mistakes cannot be solved with Alex’s reassurance. The reader is quickly brought into her mind, tricking themselves into believing everything will be ok, as Cline keeps us on board by reassuring us as well. However, everything is fine — until it isn’t.

Alex seems to believe that she can work her way into any man’s life through one simple concept: seduction. This is a common solution for Alex, as she can use it in almost any situation to make men feel like they know her, even when they are not completely comfortable. Cline writes, “Alex sensed his unease but moved closer.” This was a typical power move for Alex: to make them feel like she belonged. Make them want her. When the seduction doesn’t work, the reader sees a break in Alex’s character, even if she is unaware of it. 

Just as Cline allows the reader to see Alex’s successful calculations, she also reveals when they fall short, as she writes, “Alex had started to pull her shirt up over her head. He grabbed her wrist with what felt like excessive force. She could see the whites of his eyes in the dark.” This is the first time in the novel that the reader sees a mishap, a setback, a failure in Alex’s seducing techniques, as she asks herself, “[W]as this shame, this coil of dread, her head pounding?” Shame: a feeling we know Alex has had to feel in her life, but one of the first times it is spelled out for us. 

As the reader turns the pages, it becomes unclear if Alex will survive the five days until Simon’s party. When someone is as calculated as Alex, one has to wonder: how long can she keep this up? How long can an actress stay in character? Cline answers these questions almost seamlessly by never giving us a clear-cut answer. What will happen? The beauty of not knowing is what makes this novel a must-read. 

“Alex had the sick sense that she was a ghost. Wandering the land of the living.” If this is a ghost story, it may not be the scariest I have read, but it certainly is the most chilling. “The Guest” encapsulates the same concepts I would attribute to womanhood: exciting, tormenting, thrilling and tragic.