Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane

The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane

Ruth Field is living alone with her two cats in a seaside cottage in Australia.  She and her late husband moved to their summer home some years ago and she misses him terribly.  Her two sons have moved away (to New Zealand and Hong Kong) and Ruth despises driving so she rarely leaves her home except for her weekly trips to town for provisions.  Then Frida, a government-sent home health aide, arrives on the scene ready and willing to help Ruth in any way she can.  But where did Frida come from?  Is the government really sending health aides out to the elderly for no fee?  Is Frida as wonderful as she seems?

This book really keeps you on your toes.  The novel begins with Ruth swearing she hears a tiger in her living room.  She has the reader half convinced that something is visiting her house in the night.  But Ruth isn’t exactly a reliable narrator.  Her memory doesn’t seem to be as sharp as it once was.  She remembers her youth, and youthful romances long ago in Fiji, but she forgets things Frida has told her.  Or does she?  What is truth, who to trust and what exactly is going on are questions that you’ll find yourself wondering while reading this book.