Likewise, exactly what happened, to whom, and by whom unfolds like the layers of an onion over the course of the novel.Īll of this mystery really heightens the intrigue of the story. Like a good Agatha Christie novel, each one of the characters has a secret and a motive. Olivia: The bridesmaid, who is the troubled teenage sister of Jules and is hiding the truth about a very dark event.Eoife: The wedding planner who on the island and has offered the couple a hefty discount to hold their wedding here.Johnno: The best man, who is an old school friend of Will’s, holding some tensions about the past.Hannah: The plus-one, who is married to Charlie (the longtime best friend of Jules) and is concerned about how close the friendship really is.Jules: The bride, who has meticulously planned every detail of her perfect wedding day.The story is told from the perspective of five characters and alternates between present and past in ultimately unveiling the killer: The power goes out, and a body is discovered. You can’t control more than a single day. When the party of the year has officially started, the ominous storm that threatened finally erupts, both literally and figuratively.īut no matter what happens, life is only a series of days. And, you just know something bigger is about to happen. It’s not really about the marriage at all, in spite of what everyone says.Īs the guests arise, tensions rise. The start of The Guest List is a moody scene: a wedding on a remote, secluded island off the coast of Ireland, where the powerful and ambitious magazine founder Jules is marrying her golden boy, reality television star Will.īut it’s all about the moment, a wedding.

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