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.
