This riveting story reminded me that I should read more from this author. Midwives and The Double Bind are others of his that I have thoroughly enjoyed. In The Guest Room a bachelor party goes horribly wrong; two men lie dead in a suburban living room, two young girls are on the run, and a marriage is coming apart at the seams.
This fast paced story telling has a purpose–to keep us reading despite the violence and discomfort of the topic and make us aware of a very important issue. Slavery is not a thing of the past. Vulnerable young girls are regularly kidnapped into the sex trade and unless we understand the market that drives it and hear from the victims who undergo this human rights violation, the topic remains under wraps. Bringing traffickers to justice is a hard thing, but the more people are made aware through reading novels like this, the better chance we have as a society to do something about it. Even though parts of this book are hard to read, I was hooked from the very first page and it did not let me go till the very end.
The book shows how exploitation systems work, how victims can feel ashamed and inadequate even though they have done no wrong, and highlights the kinds of people (both men and women) who drive the sex trade industry. There are many victims in this cautionary tale and the evil done by a few is far reaching.
Joanne's Reading Blog 