At the start of summer, a lonely and thoughtful teenager, Evie Boyd, sees a group of girls in the park, and is immediately caught by their freedom, their careless dress, their dangerous aura of abandon. Soon, Evie is in thrall to Suzanne, a mesmerizing older girl, and is drawn into the circle of a soon-to-be infamous cult and the man who is its charismatic leader.
The stories in Emma Cline's stunning first collection consider the dark corners of human experience, exploring the fault lines of power between men and women, parents and children, past and present.
* A TIMES ''Book of 2023'' * ''Addictive'' STYLIST Books to Look Out For 2023 * ''Destined to be the status read of 2023'' HARPER''S BAZAAR BEST NEW FICTION * ''The perfect summer read'' CULTURE WHISPER * An EVENING STANDARD ''Best New Books for Spring'' * A Financial Times Best Summer Read 2023 *
Summer is coming to a close on Long Island, and Alex is no longer welcome...
One misstep at a dinner party and the older man she''s been staying with dismisses her with a ride to the train station and a ticket back to the city. With few resources, but a gift for navigating the desires of others, Alex stays on the island. She drifts like a ghost through the gated driveways and sun-blasted dunes of a rarefied world, trailing destruction in her wake.
Taut, sensual and impossible to look away from, The Guest captures the latent heat and potential danger of a summer that could go either way for a young woman teetering on the edge.
PRAISE FOR EMMA CLINE
''Taut, beautiful and savage'' GUARDIAN
''Stunning . . . thrilling . . . a spectacular achievement'' THE TIMES
''Something about Cline''s intimate tone, her talent for conjuring the feeling of being alive, is entirely and uniquely her own'' RACHEL KUSHNER
''An astonishingly gifted stylist'' BRANDON TAYLOR
