The Night Guest: A Novel

The Big Fall Books Preview 2013 (also an Amazon Best Book of the Month, October 2013): At age 75, Ruth is a widower, who lives alone in a remote beach home in Australia until one day a mysterious caretaker named Frida shows up to help around the house. But can Frida be trusted? Ruth's mind isn't what it once was, but she suspects her new friend isn't all that she seems. The Night Guest is an impressive debut--a tender novel about old age and a psychological meditation on isolation--that moves with the curious pace of a mystery. Fiona McFarlane is a new voice that reads as if she has the experience of a familiar voice, like she's been with us all along. --Kevin Nguyen