The Guest Children
by Patrick Tarr
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Description
The search for two missing children goes terribly wrong in this haunting and insidiously creepy ghost story debut by acclaimed showrunner Patrick Tarr. With terror mounting in 1940 London, thousands of Guest Children were evacuated out of England to escape the bombings. Two of those children, Michael and Frances Hawksby, were never seen again. Randall Sturgess wanted to do his part in the war--but stayed home instead to look after his troubled younger brother. Impoverished, shamed as a show more coward, and running out of work options as veterans come home, when he's asked to investigate the disappearance of the Hawksby children, he agrees. Reluctantly leaving his brother behind, Randall follows the children's trail to a remote corner of northern Ontario, where he finds an isolated resort. There, he discovers the secretive couple who initially took in the young Hawksbys, along with their collection of strange, seemingly permanent guests. But there's still no sign of the children. Plagued by vivid nightmares and a persistent feeling that he's being watched, Randall searches the imposing woods and lake for any trace of Michael and Frances. Randall's certain something terrible has happened to them, linked to a spectral presence he senses around the lodge and glimpses out of the corner of his eye. Appearing first in his dreams and then in waking life, strange visions call to Randall, even as his every instinct tells him to stay away-and he's increasingly convinced that if he ever wants to find the children, he must succumb to the call. Vividly atmospheric, layered, and twisty, The Guest Children is sure to appeal to fans of Shutter Island and The Others. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
This was a disappointment. Fantastic set-up, great plot, but... it never catches fire.
There's a few issues here, the first being, the entire plot was fairly easily guessable with two early scenes (one of which is never explained) leading the reader right to what has to happen toward the end.
The other issue I had was, Randall never really has any agency in the novel. He stumbles (often literally) through the story and then clues or people with clues wind up in front of him. He doesn't find any of them, they all find him.
The next issue? All the characters. The inhabitants of the lodge are virtually indistinguishable, as they're all written in a bland, generic way. Something major has to happen—such as one of them attacking show more Randall—for me to go, "oh, okay, I know which one he is now."
It's frustrating, because all the ingredients are there: the overall story, the atmospheric setting, the mystery of both the children and the lodge. But it was laid out so passively, with very little grit or obstacles thrown in Randall's way, that it just never coalesced.
And don't get me started on the end. There's a trend I've noticed lately where the author finishes the story, pretty much wraps it up, then feels they have to just... keep... writing... to give you more information that really has nothing to do with the story, but, y'know, in case you were wondering about the future lives of the characters that has nothing impactful to say about the story you just read. Yeah, this book does that too.
This could have been good. Unfortunately, it was just bland. show less
There's a few issues here, the first being, the entire plot was fairly easily guessable with two early scenes (one of which is never explained) leading the reader right to what has to happen toward the end.
The other issue I had was, Randall never really has any agency in the novel. He stumbles (often literally) through the story and then clues or people with clues wind up in front of him. He doesn't find any of them, they all find him.
The next issue? All the characters. The inhabitants of the lodge are virtually indistinguishable, as they're all written in a bland, generic way. Something major has to happen—such as one of them attacking show more Randall—for me to go, "oh, okay, I know which one he is now."
It's frustrating, because all the ingredients are there: the overall story, the atmospheric setting, the mystery of both the children and the lodge. But it was laid out so passively, with very little grit or obstacles thrown in Randall's way, that it just never coalesced.
And don't get me started on the end. There's a trend I've noticed lately where the author finishes the story, pretty much wraps it up, then feels they have to just... keep... writing... to give you more information that really has nothing to do with the story, but, y'know, in case you were wondering about the future lives of the characters that has nothing impactful to say about the story you just read. Yeah, this book does that too.
This could have been good. Unfortunately, it was just bland. show less
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Globe and Mail | Canadian Fiction: August 23, 2025
10 works; 1 member
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1 Work 25 Members
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- Canonical title
- The Guest Children
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- Members
- 25
- Popularity
- 1,071,271
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (2.50)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 3
