The Night Guest is VERY creepy in a very relatable, will-make-your-skin-crawl sort of way. If you've ever had unexplained symptoms dismissed by doctors, you'll understand Iðunn's fear. What's out there on Grandi? You don't wanna know.

TW: violence against the poor (fictional) cats of Reykjavik.

The Night Guest was an extremely short read, after sitting for a half hour, I was already 1/3 of the way through it. Short but wild! The story starts with a bang and it sucks you right in! A girl is waking up tired and sore with unexplainable bruises night after night, after buying a Garmin watch and seeing her foot count go up dramatically overnight, she decides she must be sleepwalking. But that’s when it gets crazy.

I was really into it… But then it literally just ended. And it was a really weird ending, and when I turned to the acknowledgments pages, I thought that maybe my copy wasn’t complete and that there was more, but now that’s just how it ended. Like the author decided 100 chapters was enough and that’s just *boom* the end. This easily could have been a 4 or 5 star book for me, but the “ending” was a total disappointment.

I know this was translated from Icelandic, but the names were really, really impossible to pronounce, it reminded me of the first time I read Harry Potter, and just kind of guessed at names like Hermione.

This is a short story they can be read in a day or two and delivers a large portion of dread in only 208 pages. It's perfect for fans of unlikable narrators and authors who write eerie stories like Mona Awad and Rachel Yoder.

Basically, a hypochondriac riddled with anxiety just can't seem to figure out why she's so tired in the morning and where the unexplained bruises come from each day. When all the labs the Dr ordered come back normal, she decides to focus more on her health and see what she can do to improve it. This leads her to a startling discovery that she is walking thousands of steps each night when she thinks she's sleeping.

I don't want to give anything away so that it impacts others who choose to read it. I really enjoyed this one and think it's a great unsettling story to read in the spirit of spooky season approaching. Check out the trigger warnings before reading, especially if you're a cat person.

Psychological horror is sometimes hard to do right, but one of the things I think works best for it is strong voice. The Night Guest provides a near-perfect mix of voice and story, bolstered by a terrific translation that proves effortlessly readable.

The book's chief scares are definitely about bodily autonomy, and in a world full of provable anxieties about women's autonomy and authority to control themselves and their lives, the book feels quite timely. Nothing is more terrifying than not being able to feel in control of yourself, and the book definitely explores that concept.

But perhaps more interesting is how the book explores other alienations. The main character, Iðunn, struggles with her alienation from multiple sources--men who don't see her for her own merit, parents who don't respect her dietary needs, medical professionals who do not see her problems, and a culture that only seems to value economic production over individual needs. Perhaps not an intended reading, but I felt frequently a kind of anxiety about hustle culture reflected in the character's continuous exhaustion, how our private hours can't ever truly be our own, and how we must always be projecting ourselves outwardly to other people, unable to commune with our interior lives, our interior problems in a way that is healthy and thus freeing and energizing.

The Night Guest is a bingeworthy treat, a story that can be devoured in a single sitting but is also perhaps best enjoyed when allowed to savor its little nuances. This is excellent psychological horror, worthy of reading and rereading. It is deceptively simple, but beautifully written and translated. I really hope we get more of Knútsdóttir's work in the U.S.

Disclosure Statement: I received a complimentary copy of the novella from the publisher for a review. All opinions and thoughts shared are authentically my own and have not been influenced by either author or publisher in any form.

This had so much promise! I love the premise. However, I don't feel this story was finished. We start with talk about chronic illness in women. How it isn't researched. How many people push them aside saying it's in their heads. Yet the story doesn't really continue with that idea in a way that weaves throughout the rest of the story. It just gets forgotten as the story becomes one of possession. I'm down for a possession story, but again, I need more to it. There are so many questions surrounding the possession that haven't been answered. And I'm not someone who needs them all answered, just some. Her relationships with Mar, Stefan, and her sister are all underdeveloped. Overall 3 stars because I enjoyed it as I read it, but I can't give it more that than because it just felt unfinished for me. I needed to know so much more!

I binged The Night Guest audiobook in one sitting! It is an eerie and ensnaring story set in contemporary Reykjavík where the FMC is plagued with relentless fatigue. Doctors are dismissing her symptoms until one night Iðunn falls asleep with her smart 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? Creepy, propulsive, atmospheric and with an increasing sense of dread, this horror novella is a perfect spooky read. The audio performance by Mary Robinette Kowal is riveting and her panicked performance gave me goosebumps! Please check content warnings before diving in!

A quick and chilling read! I finished this in one sitting and was so intrigued. Perfect for spooky season!

I loved this book! This was such a short and quick read but packed a punch. Our main character is fatigued all the time and can’t figure out why until she notices her steps being counted in the middle of the night and believes she is sleep walking. I loved the commentary about medical gaslighting and women not being believed by doctors and the medical system. Being someone who is chronically ill and fatigued I felt very seen by this book. This book becomes unhinged and is slightly disorienting as things become weirder. My only complaint was the ending. It felt very rushed and confusing but this book could have been 5 stars for me until that point.

TW for animal cruelty

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A smartwatch comes in handy in this unsettling novella, where a woman discovers she's been walking thousands of steps every night. She wakes up bruised and tired, but no one believes her – so it's up to her to figure out where she's going every night and why.

Written in short chapters and straight to the point language, The Night Guest is a whirlwind to get through. It had some slightly eerie moments, as well as some more graphic disturbing moments.

I liked (and didn't like) what it was saying about women's health, and I sympathized with the MC's daily pain and sense of doom over her unexplained health condition. I thought the feeling of dread was conjured well in such few pages, and I was very invested in what was going to happen.

Unfortunately, what I didn't love: the ending. This is a reoccurring comment in reviews I've read, so if you don't like unexplained, confusing endings, chances are you're gonna hate the final pages. I still thought this was worth the read though!

A fever dream turned nightmare, The Night Guest is a translated short Novella that feels fascinatingly frantic and at times lost in translation.

I loved the oddly fever dreamy pacing that made it hard to put down but by the end I was left with more questions than answers. What the hell happened in that last 20% and why? Am I just confused or is there some subtlety that’s lost in translation?

The situation in the story with the cats is never really explained at all along with several other things. Yes, I’m being intentionally vague because this book is so short I’d hate to ruin what magic does unfold with to many details.
I feel like at the end the author had that same thought, leaving me wanting at least 50 more pages.
Trigger warning: Animal death

3 Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the advice copy for review.

Iðunn is tired. No matter how much sleep she gets, she wakes up with aching limbs and an unceasing exhaustion. She goes to doctors who report all is normal. She listens to the well-meaning advice of her friends to be more active during the day and cut our caffeine. It does nothing. But when she accidentally leaves her pedometer on one night, she discovers she’s walking tens of thousands of miles each night. Where is she going? What is she doing?

This novella is a quick, creepy read. There is a lot left unanswered, but that is what keeps things satisfyingly scary. When it comes to horror, too much explanation ruins all the fun. I read this in one sitting and enjoyed it, but, could have done without the descriptions of violence against cats.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Night Guest is an Icelandic psychological horror novella that masterfully develops its pacing and emotional impact by adding and releasing tension through playing with chapter lengths, with some chapters even being one deeply unsettling sentence. Iðunn is plagued with various aches and pains that no doctor is able to figure out, and she is increasingly exhausted, no matter how much time she spends in bed. Lonely with no one to talk to besides her neighborhood cats, she tries to just ignore it and go on with her life. That is, until she starts waking up with bruises on her leg and blood on her chin. Upon buying a smartwatch, she finds that she has been walking tens of thousands of steps each night to the local harbor, for some unknown reason, and nothing she does can stop her sleepwalking.

This novel is an excellent commentary on the state of those with chronic illnesses not being believed by their doctors and seemingly no solutions providing aid for their sufferings. Likewise, it shows the extreme levels of misogyny that chronically ill women especially have to deal with, often being told that everything is in their head.

Content warning for depictions of dead pets

I would recommend this book to anyone looking an incredible psychological horror story that does so much with very little space.

This book wasn’t for me... I have to say, I didn’t like the ending at all! What was that?! 😪

Our main character thinks she’s losing her mind—constantly waking up tired and noticing mysterious scrapes and bruises on her body. The story kept me guessing, and I was expecting a big reveal, but the ending was a letdown.

I’d still recommend it, but be warned—the last few pages might frustrate you!

Solid 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC. Beyond humbled 🙏🏾 *The Night Guest* is out September 3rd, 2024!

Really enjoyed my time with this delightfully creepy little novella. I don't want to say too much at the risk of giving anything away as it is only 200 pages, but I'll say I highly recommend to readers who enjoyed books such as Come Closer by Sara Gran and Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for my review copy! Definitely will be purchasing a copy for my shelves when it publishes September 3rd.

Thank you Tor Nightfire for my free ARC of The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir — available Sep 3!

» READ IF YOU «
⌚️ wear a fitbit or other step-counting smartwatch
🥱 have ever been frustrated by not sleeping well
🌊 don't mind a bit of ambiguity in your endings

Translated from Icelandic by Mary Robinette Kowal 🇮🇸

» SYNOPSIS «
Iðunn is sleeping terribly and no medical professional seems able to help her. She's waking up exhausted and with strange injuries, and her smartwatch is telling her that she's taking thousands of steps in the middle of the night. Is she suffering from some strange malady? Or is something more sinister going on?

» REVIEW «
This was firstly, relatable as heck, and secondly, a pretty disturbing ride. I struggle off and on with weird sleep issues, so I felt for Iðunn and all those annoying pieces of advice she'd get — have you tried MELATONIN?!. Oof. Anyway, I loved where this went even if I didn't fully understand how or why things turned out the way they did. I'd say it's more "horror lite" than the cover and marketing imply; more of a psychological horror than anything, but I quite enjoyed it. Also, I love an ending that leaves me with questions and fosters discussion with other readers, so hit me up to chat about it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was so fast paced that it almost read like a short story. Mysterious things start happening right away, and the scenes and chapters are very short, which really keeps things moving. I read almost the entire book in one day, which I am never able to do. That should speak to my level of investment in this story.

The whole book is full of fantastic horror/suspense vibes. So much tension builds throughout the story. One scene in particular would have made me had a heart attack if this was a movie.

The writing and story were both really tremendous. Unfortunately, the ending fell flat for me. This is one of those books that feels like it just kind of... stops. There was a "payoff" of sorts, but it was very rushed and unsatisfying. I would still recommend reading this though, because the rest of the book makes up for the disappointing ending many times over.

THE NIGHT GUEST by @hildurknutsdottir

Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher, @macmillan.audio and @tornightfire for the audio-ARC and finished copy. This one comes into the world on September 3!

🤫🤫🤫

Iðunn is exhausted. She goes to sleep every night for a reasonable stint, but wakes up feeling fatigued with sore muscles. As she works through her symptoms with a young, engaged female doctor after being dismissed by a male doctor, she is encouraged to start wearing a fitness watch to track her exercise, sleep and habits. When she wakes up to find that she has walked over 40,000 steps during the night without any recollection, her fears about what is happening to her body are wildly heightened.

This compact thriller translated from the Icelandic does not pack a punch so much as an icy cold hand that slowly closes around your throat, yet the build up is steep with a swift, satisfying ending. Many of the chapters were less than a sentence long which added to the suspense and propelled the story forward in short bursts. The cold, dark setting of Reykjavik in the winter months kept the book's atmosphere feeling chilly and spooky.

If you like thrilling fever dream books, unreliable narrators, sleep-deprivation themes, and a quick, pallet-cleansing read, pick this one up! Bonus that it is a translated title and it is #womenintranslation month and fun fact: I was in Iceland just a month ago, so this was fun to read on the heels of that.

💚💚💚

Do you ever intentionally seek out books set in places you love, places you want to visit, or places you have lived?

💚SMASHBOT💚

#bibliophile #booknerd #books #booksta #bookstagram #booklover #bookreview #thenightguest #hildurknútsdóttir
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I went into The Night Guest not really knowing what to expect, and having finished it, I have to say I’m still not too sure.

This was a quick novella that immediately introduced a creeping sense of terror and dread. This is what kept me reading, wanting to know what was going on, and what was happening to the main character.
The tension and dread just builds the farther into the story you get, as things become more and more sinister.
This is one I wish I would have read the TW for prior to requesting, because there are quite a few, many actually, dead cats. That isn’t contributing to my rating, although I do wish horror would move away from the shock factor of murdered animals.

Overall, I suppose I’m not too sure about The Night Guest. I was incredibly invested throughout but the entirely ambiguous and abrupt ending lost me. I understand the gist of things, and I enjoy some ambiguity, but just a shred of context would probably have changed my rating.

Thank you to the author and Tor Nightfire for this ARC via NetGalley.
Publication date 9/3/24

Luckily I looked at other reviews before I got too far into this and saw the trigger warnings provided by other readers - I cannot abide violence against animals, especially cats. I wasn't able to finish this.

The Night Guest is a horror novella that centers around a woman named Iðunn, who is experiencing exhaustion and mysterious bruises despite sleeping through the nights. With nothing showing up on any medical tests, she begins to feel helpless and finds temporary aid in pills. Though, it is only temporary as she starts to wake up with more injuries, more exhaustion, and her watch reporting over 40,000 steps overnight. All attempts to prevent herself from sleepwalking result in punishment.

This novella was a very quick read with short and compelling chapters that made it really easy for me to consume in a short period of time. It plays on the fear of losing one’s autonomy, feeling isolated, and losing a grip on reality. The further into the story I read, the more the sense of helplessness and dread intensified. Overall, I liked it! I think the ending is either gonna be a love it or hate it kind of thing for people, but it worked for me.

Thank you Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!