BOOK REVIEW: THE GUEST LIST BY LUCY FOLEY
Specifications About the Book
Originally published: 2020
Author: Lucy Foley
Original language: English
Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological thriller, Psychological Fiction
Awards: Goodreads Choice Awards Best Mystery & Thriller
The Guest List by Lucy Foley is a contemporary murder mystery, thriller and atmospheric novel published in 2020. Foley, an English author, weaves a tale of intrigue, secrets, and betrayal upon the backdrop of an isolated island in West Ireland. Imagine yourself on a super creepy Irish island attending a super , fancy and lavish wedding. So basically that’s where you find yourself when you start reading the book . While reading the book one will learn very early that something bad and terrible has happened at this wedding and the story kind of unfolds from there. Each chapter fluctuates from the perspective of one character to the other and each of the characters have suspenseful and thriller history behind them or some shady in their past.
Plot
Basically the story starts off with the wedding event that’s taking place in the Irish island. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher and so they have about 100-150 guests which had shown up on their wedding that to on this beautiful island. The story starts off after the wedding when the reception ceremony was taking place as the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast and suddenly the lights start flickering and a person comes screaming saying that they had seen a lot of blood and there might have been a murder which have taken place and then the story took a page turn and flashes back to 48 hours prior ad begins with close friends of Bride and Groom.
Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
Review
The book isn’t a fast-paced thriller with constant shocks to keep you hooked but a slow burn reveal, where an overlooked word might have clued you in to the murderer. Even those who read a lot of mysteries will have a hard time guessing the murderer of this book, making it a great read for all mystery lovers. In the book , Foley puts a modern spin on the classic “locked room mystery.” The setting: a remote island off Ireland, a place haunted by the specter of a dark past—an atmospheric location perfect for a mystery.
Overall the story is super fast paced fun , light and thriller and it covers darker and serious subject. The story seems to like a little bit overdramatic or melodramatic .The most I liked about the book that it was very atmospheric , like the feeling of being trapped on the island that might be haunted or might not and the cliffs . The way author builds up a tension and the thriller is really amazing. The highlight of the book is how the author manages to create links of all characters in the story to whatever happens on the island. Moreover the book is more character based than plot based. This book is all about secrets, lies, betrayal, murder, family, and marriage.
Read it or Skip it?
The Guest List has a slow buildup that results in a pretty solid mystery, but the pacing of it is unfortunate. It starts too slow and then everything gets revealed quite quickly. Still, I really liked the atmosphere of it, the multiple coherent storylines running through it, and the many small details that end up resurfacing.The New York Times Book Review described this as “evoking the great Agatha Christie classics,”
This is definitely for mystery-thriller fans.
Rating : 3.5/5.
By Shefali Kohli
