The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson
I haven’t been reading a lot because I’ve been swamped by law school work. During the holiday break, I wanted a short read to get the wheels turning again—The Christmas Guest fit the bill, and ended up being my last read of 2023. However, I’m sad to report it did not leave as much of a mark on me as I anticipated.
The book follows American art student Ashley Smith who lives in London, who gets invited by her classmate Emma to her countryside home for the holidays. Ashley is all too pleased to accept, if a bit cautious. She is under the impression that Emma doesn’t like her very much, which is why the last-minute invitation comes at a bit of a surprise.
All I did was throw a pebble into a still pond. The ripples did the rest.
From there, the mystery unravels against a backdrop of a cozy and festive lodge. The Christmas Guest truly has all the elements of a good Christmas mystery—the atmospheric setting, the snowy weather, and all other details in Peter Swanson’s prose that add that festive touch. The isolation in this book, while it exists to some extent, is unique in that it isn’t really caused by inclement weather, or any sudden cause effected upon our main characters. The feeling of isolation arrives even before Ashley does in Emma’s family lodge—the fact of her being alone in England, away from her home in America (although there isn’t much of a home waiting for her there anyways) already sets the tone and invokes that sense of disconnect the reader feels in true isolation stories. Of course, the feeling of isolation brings about a mystery without much effort. Although the mystery here, while it kept me engaged at the moment, is not one that would really stick with me a couple of weeks, even days, from now.
Peter Swanson’s prose undeniably lends itself well to the genre. The novella is addictive, at least while I was in the thick of it. This year I’ve dipped my toes into thriller novellas, Sleeping Dogs Lie being my first. There’s much, much more to be explored in the genre, and I cannot wait to find one that’s actually memorable.
If you’re on the hunt for a quick, festive thrill, a book where you could just turn your brain off and enjoy the ride, The Christmas Guest is for you.
