Book Review: The Guest List

Author: Lucy Foley

I’d heard a lot about this book and thought of finally picking it up. I hadn’t so far because of the multiple POVs. Surprisingly, the POVs were not a problem. The author has handled them well. They do not end up confusing you and give you an understanding of the characters. That's a positive.

Now, the character-building is good, I must say. I understood each of them, their motives, and their weaknesses. Can’t say I liked any of them, which is usually a problem for me. I like to have at least some characters that I like. There were none in this. All were just plain bad and unlikeable.

Jules, the bride and Will, the groom, were the perfect-looking pair (stress on looking) and too full of themselves. Hannah, Jules’ friend’s wife, is completely insecure. She keeps thinking of things, and you keep wondering why hasn’t she clarified any of that yet in so many years of her marriage. Johnno, the best man, makes you feel sorry for him at times, but his behaviour quickly wipes away any feelings of sympathy. Olivia, the bridesmaid and Jules’ sister is always so sad and wants to talk about her secrets, but (you guessed it) she doesn’t until almost the end.

The setting is great – an island, a stormy weather, a wedding. What more can you ask for? Well, the actual murder! It was quite obvious that all the characters had some secrets, but it took so long to reveal them that it was exhausting at times. You can’t keep mentioning something that happened (not once or twice but multiple times) and not reveal anything further till almost the end. On top of that, the way the stories of the characters interconnect seemed a little over the top.

Overall, it was a decent read that could possibly have been much better.