The Unwelcome Guest by Amanda Robson is a scary (if you have a MIL from hell) psychological domestic thriller. While some twists aren't complete surprises this story is much more about the journey. And this is one very twisted toxic journey.

I don't think the fact it is told from multiple perspectives is what can turn some readers off, since that approach is so common now. But each writer approaches different perspectives differently and Robson immediately, at the beginning of almost each chapter, uses forms of address. These are largely internal commentaries from that character's view, but starting chapters with phrases like "I saw you..." can be confusing at first. With some effort the reader quickly catches on and knows the first task each chapter is making sure you notice who the 'I' is this chapter (chapter title) and who the 'you' is that is being referenced. This wasn't, for me, the smoothest multiple perspective approach I've encountered, but the story makes the small amount of extra effort worth it. So be patient and you will be rewarded.

One of the fun things with multiple viewpoints is the way you can see an event in such different ways. In addition, where you might wonder whether you should assign intentionality to a character's action, you usually know for sure in this case. These characters, whether the ones you like or dislike, are all flawed. There are varying degrees of self-awareness among them as well.

The story is solid, the writing, once you adjust to how Robson uses multiple voices here, is very good, and easily by about a quarter of the way in you've already started arguing with them all. There is a lot of detail here, to good effect I believe, but it does make it a book you should pay attention to and not just zip through. Unless you are a reader mainly interested in plot in its most basic form, in which case skim away, it is a good plot. But the details are what makes this a very good story.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )