Rewind Review: The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

From the first sentence of The Overnight Guest, author Heather Gudenkauf envelops the reader in the story.  This book felt alive to me; what I mean is that we truly experience each and every moment along with the characters.  We smell what they smell, feel what they feel, see what they see, feel shortness of breath when they struggle to breathe.  I truly felt as if I was there, walking alongside these characters (and desperately wanting to help).  I don’t know if I can remember another book that I’ve read recently that did such a complete job in filling the reader’s senses and placing you in the moment with the other characters.  The beating heart of this story creates that immediate investment in the story and its characters.

Long story short: Wylie Lark, a true crime writer, is just trying to finish her latest work while staying in a remote cabin, but fate has some other plans for her.  Wylie is just one of the perspectives shared in the novel, with each adding more and more depth and insight into the truth behind a traumatic event which ties them all together.  And if there’s anything COVID has taught us about isolation, it's that it's not necessarily all it's cracked up to be.  Connections to others ground us and give us meaning.

As we discover the truth (brilliantly paced and revealed), we’re reminded that truth isn’t always pretty, and the story shows the ugly and dark effects of trauma authentically. The reactions of the characters to events unfolding felt real and true.

I found myself on the verge of tears toward the conclusion of the book because of the journey we take with these characters. Not many thrillers bring me to tears, but The Overnight Guest is a visceral, emotional, and exceptional thriller that wraps you up in its story and doesn’t let go.