The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

 

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson.

Published in paperback 10th October 2024 by Faber and Faber.

From the cover of the book:

When Ashley Smith - a bright-eyed but lonely American studying in London - is invited to spend Christmas with her classmate's family at their Cotswolds manor house, it seems like a perfect country idyll.

And for Ashley - who records it all in her diary - there's the added romantic potential of her friend's twin brother, Adam, who she thinks could be her wildest dream come true.

But is there something strange about the old house, both stately and rundown? What could the motives of the mysterious Chapman family be? And what holiday horrors might be lying in wait?

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I love a wintery crime story, when an icy backdrop sets you up agreeably for chills to run up and down your spine. Even better if it is set at Christmas, when the sparkle of the festivities contrasts beautifully with dark hearts and devilish deeds. Swanson takes this winning premise and goes one better in this delicious little novella by fashioning a classic, country house crime story, and combining it with his own kind of contemporary thriller in a way that is eminently satisfying.

The story begins in 2019, in a snowy New York, with a woman leafing through the pages of a journal. The action then moves back to 1989, as young American art student, Ashley Smith, arrives at the Cotswold manor house of her classmate Emma. Ashley's narrative takes us through the days leading up to Christmas as she tries to navigate her way through the dysfunctional relationships of Emma's family, and Swanson does an excellent job of conveying her loneliness, desperation to fit in among these odd people, and the way she falls under the spell of Emma's handsome brother Adam. 

From the moment of Ashley's arrival, the chill of the manor house, the emotional distance of this family, and the remote village setting all set your nerves on edge. Something is off about this situation, and the slow burn build up of tension is fuelled by whispered conversations, rumours of a murder connected to the family, and Ashley's increasing recklessness as her emotions get the better of her. 

There is an inevitability to the violence that eventually ensues (and a subtle little clue early on in the proceedings), but the truth behind these events only really becomes clear in the second part of the tale, which pulls you back to 2019, subverting the nostalgia filled tropes of classic crime, and blending them with elements of Swanson's more typical thriller fare. This combination works incredibly well, and makes for a story that really stays with you. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this unsettling gem, and its shades of Patricia Highsmith. Fingers crossed this might be the start of a new Christmas tradition from Mr Swanson, as I could definitely develop a taste for his brand of festive treat.

The Christmas Guest is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook, paperback and audio formats.

Thank you to Faber and Faber for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Peter Swanson is the author of nine novels, including The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award, and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, and Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year. His books have been translated into 30 languages, and his stories, poetry, and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine.

A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, he lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts with his wife and cat.