The Guest, by Emma Cline, follows the story of 22-year-old Alex, a beautiful girl and compulsive thief who attaches herself to wealthy men and floats from party to party, staying one step ahead of disaster. The bones of the plot are that Simon, her current mark, invites her to spend a month at his house in Long Island, then dumps her.

She has no money and no place to go but convinces herself that he’ll welcome her back at his annual Labor Day party in one week’s time. The story tracks her week on Long Island insinuating herself in other people’s lives and freeloading as she kills time until the party (and also avoids her ex, a man named Dom, who’s hunting her because she ripped him off). There’s an ongoing sense of dread and a coming reckoning. Excellent work. Here’s what Kirkus Reviews says:

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/emma-cline/the-guest-cline/