Review of “The Guest Room” by Chris Bohjalian

Thanks to Doubleday Books via NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was disturbing and sickening on many levels but it did keep me turning the pages… It wasn’t just the subject of human sex trafficking that I found myself objecting to. That was, of course, difficult to read but it was more than that. I really disliked all of the male characters. Richard, the “good guy” host of the bachelor party gone awry, was a weak man in my opinion. I was upset by the way he could not stop thinking about Alexandra after she and Sonja had fled the scene of the crime. It’s difficult to put into words but I was continually unsure if he was thinking of her in a concerned, fatherly way (since there was a question of her age in his mind) or if he was continuing to truly lust after her. It just felt very icky to me. As for the his brother, the groom, and his friend Spencer, they were simply stereotyped scumbags.

I think the author did a good job in giving us Alexandra’s perspective although I actually feel that the reality of many girls and women who are being trafficked is likely even worse that Alexandra’s experience.

I was also surprised at how the book ended. I don’t want to spoil it so I’ll leave it at that. But I always appreciate an ending I didn’t anticipate even if it wasn’t exactly the ending I’d hoped for.

I had not read any of Chris Bohjalian’s previous books but I certainly would in the future.

My rating 3.5 stars