Image and article by Sarah Meiselman
Over spring break, I read The Guest List, written by Lucy Foley and released in February 2020. The book is a murder mystery following the discovery of a body at the end of a wedding. The wedding is between the online magazine publisher of The Download, Julia Keegan, and celebrity William Slater, who hosts a survival TV show titled Survive the Night. The story takes place on a fictional, small island off the coast of West Ireland called Cormorant Island. The island’s tragic past, and rumors of the ghosts trapped there because of it, add to its remote and eerie ambiance. The wedding brings together relatives and close friends with shared histories full of dark secrets that create a tense and dramatic atmosphere. Despite this, Julia is determined to put forth the perfect wedding, if only to prove her reputation as a fierce and successful businessperson.
As the guests’ anger toward each other builds, a storm creeps its way toward the island. The ruthless storm comes for it late into the wedding party, causing the lights to go out. When they come back on, a waiter comes running into the tent with news of a dead body. Between William’s old boarding-school friends and Jules’s close friends and relatives, there is no shortage of suspects. Readers find that secrets and motives to kill the victim are everywhere, yet there is only one murderer. As the story builds and more is revealed, the guessing game continues: Who is the killer? Another mystery that continues through the story is the question of who the victim is since it is only revealed to readers when the murderer is. This adds to the suspense of the story.
A major reason the book is worth reading is the way Foley masterfully wrote it. The chapters are written in first person, but they switch around between the point of view of the bride, best man, plus-one, bridesmaid, and wedding planner. This allowed Foley to write each scene from the point of view that was most impactful in building the story. Though the point of view changed, everything was still written chronologically so that time continued for each character even if they were not the ones telling the story, which minimized confusion for readers. This occurred with one exception: Every few chapters, the story would jump to the minutes leading up to the discovery of who the body belonged to and who got arrested for the murder (and who was guilty but walked free). Before these jumps, the plot follows the day before and the day of the wedding. These jumps also benefited the book, because they kept the reader intrigued throughout the slower parts of the story.
Another successful aspect of the novel was the characters. Each has depth and motives that provide a detailed explanation of their behavior so that readers feel each could be real. Even the villains are not completely evil, so their actions are understandable. Additionally, the story tackles some difficult topics in addition to murder, like self-harm, adultery, and brutal social exclusion. The characters bring light to these issues while maintaining the realistic feel of the story. The character development is also well-written. Characters grow to build confidence, learn to lose their naivety and let go of guilt, regret, and anger. Although none of them are perfect role models, this growth gives some helpful life lessons to readers.
A singular criticism I have of the book is that the murderer is a bit of a stretch. While all the suspects except him/her have a growing hatred for the victim throughout the novel, he/she does not. Only at the very end of the novel, it is revealed that the victim deeply emotionally hurt the killer when he/she was a teenager. Since the murderer is such a logical and careful person that had a decade-long grudge, his/her guilt is on the border between shocking and simply implausible. Had any of the other suspects killed the victim, the novel would have been fully satisfying, but because of the murderer the author used, the book falls flat at the end.
Overall, I would give The Guest List a four out of five stars. While reading this fast-paced novel, I was completely immersed in the story and could not get to the next page fast enough. Unfortunately, the ending fell through, giving this incredible read a sour taste at the finale. The setting and drama between the characters made up for it though, so I would still recommend it to other murder mystery fanatics. Rather than being a book about evidence and clues, it is about relationships and the consequences of the build-up of anger. It has readers guessing the identity of the murderer based on predictions of human nature and emotion, rather than on fingerprints and alibis, making the book a unique experience. But be warned, if you read this book, you will want to avoid remote destination weddings for quite a while.
