Ratings5
Average rating3.1
Hildur Knútsdóttir's The Night Guest is an eerie and ensnaring story set in contemporary Reykjavík that’s sure to keep you awake at night.
Iðunn is in yet another doctor's office. She knows her constant fatigue is a sign that something's not right, but practitioners dismiss her symptoms and blood tests haven't revealed any cause.
When she talks to friends and family about it, the refrain is the same ― have you tried eating better? exercising more? establishing a nighttime routine? She tries to follow their advice, buying everything from vitamins to sleeping pills to a step-counting watch. Nothing helps.
Until one night Iðunn falls asleep with the watch on, and wakes up to find she’s walked over 40,000 steps in the night . . .
What is happening when she’s asleep? Why is she waking up with increasingly disturbing injuries? And why won’t anyone believe her?
Reviews with the most likes.
This book had me just hooked then it feel apart. It felt like the last part of the story was rushed and not finished. I feel cheated haha.
It was a real shame because there was this brilliant undertone with the sleep disturbances and the build up was so delicious I was hanging on for dear life then it fizzled out!
TW there is some animal abuse so be warned but
I could go for a follow up novella though..
In my defense (and I think it needs to be duly acknowledged), I've read until the very end, even after the freaking revelation about the cats. And I have cats. I love cats. I absolutely hated what was there. But I kept going, because people had raved on about the book.
Honestly? shouldn't have bothered. The cats were just a preview of how bad it could become for no reason at all. Psychotic or not, the character is uninteresting, weak and weird, and not worth my time.
I almost feel the cats were put there to add a layer of depth to her and make us question if there was more.
There wasn't.
This was.... Not what I was expecting based on the synopsis.
And this was.... Decidedly not for me.