Iris and Gabriel's marriage has hit a rough patch. Gabriel hasn't been the same since he came upon a young man who lay dying as the result of a bicycle accident. It is Gabriel who heard his last words. Emotionally shaken, he is on leave from work. Desperate to reconnect with her husband, Iris planned a romantic getaway. Sadly, it doesn't go as she had hoped. Upon returning home, they are surprised to find that their friend Laure has moved into their home. She is devastated as her husband has confessed he has recently learned he has a child with another woman. Since Iris and Gabriel have been good friends with Laure and Pierre for years, they tell Laure she can stay for as long as she needs. From this point on, an already stressful situation intensifies. Why isn't Pierre returning Gabriel or Laure's calls? Why does Laure feel comfortable wearing Iris's clothes and going everywhere with her? She even goes so far as to adopt the same hairstyle as Laure's. A pleasant and much-needed diversion comes from the new neighbors, but they too have a troubling friend living with them. THE GUEST, by B.A. Paris is a well-structured and multilayered story. The relationships between the characters are deep and intense. Marriages are scrutinized. The characters are well-defined. Most come with a great deal of baggage and as the narrative progresses their true natures are revealed. As they deal with their individual grief and guilt, they guard their secrets even if there might be consequences. There is much about THE GUEST that makes it an engrossing story. It is well-plotted and masterfully told. From one page to the next, readers don't know what to expect and this is especially true of the story's conclusion. Highly recommended.
The multimillion-copy and New York Times bestseller B. A. Paris returns with a stunning new domestic suspense novel.
Iris and Gabriel seem to have it all: a beautiful country home, a daughter taking a gap year in Greece, and their good friends from Paris, Laure and Pierre, always up for a holiday weekend away. But when a young man on his bicycle careens off the path of a nearby quarry to his death, Gabriel is the one to find him and hear his final words. When the boy dies, Gabriel is left behind with a guilty burden.
As Iris tries to help ease her husband’s trauma, they acquire an unexpected house guest. Their friend Laure has seemingly moved in, her marriage in crisis after her husband’s reveal that he has had a child with another woman. Happy to help their friend, Iris and Gabriel insist Laure stay as long as she needs. But Laure keeps wearing Iris's clothes. Following everywhere she goes. Asking her all about the now-closed quarry and the recent tragedy. And Pierre is refusing to answer Gabriel's calls.
Their only respite from the increasingly tense atmosphere in their own home comes in the form of new neighbors—a couple new to town and expecting their first child. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past.
With broken relationships and hidden motives piling up around them, Gabriel and Iris are forced to reckon with whether their life has in fact been a happy one—or if it has all been an illusion.
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