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Review: The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir (Translated by Mary Robinette Kowal)



Blurb from Goodreads:
The Night Guest is an eerie and ensnaring story set in contemporary Reykjavík that’s sure to keep you awake at night.

Iðunn is in yet another doctor's office. She knows her constant fatigue is a sign that something's not right, but practitioners dismiss her symptoms and blood tests haven't revealed any cause.

When she talks to friends and family about it, the refrain is the same — have you tried eating better? exercising more? establishing a nighttime routine? She tries to follow their advice, buying everything from vitamins to sleeping pills to a step-counting watch. Nothing helps.

Until one night Iðunn falls asleep with the watch on, and wakes up to find she’s walked over 40,000 steps in the night . . .

What is happening when she’s asleep? Why is she waking up with increasingly disturbing injuries? And why won’t anyone believe her?
My Review:

I read this in just a few hours because I couldn't put it down.  So dark, so unique!  I really liked it and it had a perfect ending.  If you are looking for a quick thriller that is kind of paranormal but kind of not, give this a try!  I especially loved the setting so I doubly recommend this if you have been to Reykjavik!

The Night Guest comes out next week on September 3, 2024, and you can purchase HERE!  
Sometimes I imagine that if I say little enough, people will find me mysterious. That they'll begin to imagine that I have this rich inner life. That I think deeply but have no need to show off, that my ideas are too precious for careless babble, that I carefully select where I choose to shine.

I want to be like ... There was this silent man at a party I once went to somewhere near Vesturbajarlaugin. He barely said a word all night but still everything revolved around him. The women tried to catch his eye, the men tried to make him laugh. But he just sat there silently-and for some reason we were all convinced that he must be the smartest man in the room.

I have gradually come to the conclusion that this tactic only works for men. If you are a woman who is silent, then people assume you're stupid and have nothing remarkable to say.

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