Quick Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Peter Swanson pens a spectacularly spine-chilling novella in which an American art student in London is invited to join a classmate for the holidays at Starvewood Hall, her family’s Cotswold manor house. But behind the holly and pine boughs, secrets are about to unravel, revealing this seemingly charming English village’s grim history.

Publisher’s Synopsis

Ashley Smith, an American art student in London for her junior year, was planning on spending Christmas alone, but a last-minute invitation from fellow student Emma Chapman brings her to Starvewood Hall, country residence of the Chapman family. The Cotswold manor house, festooned in pine boughs and crammed with guests for Christmas week, is a dream come true for Ashley. She is mesmerized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family, and the charming village of Clevemoor, but also by Adam Chapman, Emma’s aloof and handsome brother.

But Adam is being investigated by the local police over the recent brutal slaying of a girl from the village, and there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Ashley begins to wonder what kind of story she is actually inhabiting. Is she in a grand romance? A gothic tale? Or has she wandered into something far more sinister and terrifying than she’d ever imagined?

Over thirty years later the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time. What began in a small English village in 1989 reaches its ghostly conclusion in modern-day New York, many Christmas seasons later.

Book Review

Although I have seen Peter Swanson all over bookstagram, this is the first book from him I have read.

The Christmas Guest begins with an unknown narrator explaining their Christmas ritual of cleaning one room in their house. This Christmas, they are going through boxes in their closet where they find a diary from 1989. The diary belongs to an American art student living in London who is invited by a classmate to celebrate Christmas at their family’s country manor. Once there, she learns of a recent murder and the potential connection to her friend’s family as strange things begin to happen.

The Christmas Guest is an engrossing novella split into two parts. The first part is primarily composed of diary entries from 1989, while the second part is a present day reflection on the past. I thought that Swanson utilized this structure well. Essentially, each part was a different individual’s narration, telling the story from two separate points of view. This created a dynamic where there was no need for an unreliable narrator to show two sides of the same story. Furthermore, I had a theory about the murder but was still a bit surprised at the reveal. I always enjoy being surprised or caught off guard.

This novella is a well-written, quick read⁣. I was a little surprised how much I enjoyed the writing. Unfortunately, the prose could not overcome some of the issues I had with the book. ⁣The setting was intentionally selected for its vibes, yet the writing failed to be atmospheric. I think a bit more description when it came to the country house and surrounding area could have increased my enjoyment and sense of foreboding.

I also thought The Christmas Guest fell short in terms of character development. All of the characters were essentially mysteries to the reader. I never gained a sense of who they were.

I would have rated The Christmas Guest higher if it had not been for the last page, in particular the last sentence. I found the last twist to be unnecessary and incohesive with what came before it. ⁣The ending nearly ruined the entire book for me. Several days after finishing, I am still trying to figure out how the last sentence would be plausible or how it fits with all the pages before it.

Overall, I enjoyed The Christmas Guest and will be giving Peter Swanson another go. I recommend this novella for those who enjoy spooky holiday tales, loved Behind Her Eyes, or like reading about the secretly sinister.⁣

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