corinnereads 's review for:

The Guest by Emma Cline

5.0

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The woman who is perpetually a guest in the lives of others and even in her own. The main character is a brilliant young woman who has learned to survive and even enjoy life as best as she can, however, to do so she continually creates false personas which are completely crafted to manipulate and to appeal to the people she runs across who have something to offer her. In the process she does not allow herself to connect with her inner being, she does not know who she really is, she does not have the luxury to examine what she wants or who she wants to be. She is a guest in her own life. It is such a well written book about a window in time, one summer. I think it reflects all of us during different times of our lives when we forsake ourselves in order to simply survive. Maybe there is always a time when this is okay and even necessary as we wander through this life-hopefully one day to strip ourselves of our masks and be able to live authentically in safety and with full agency. My first Cline novel, and definitely not my last!