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An Unexpected Guest by Anne Korkeakivi

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Synopsis

Clare Moorhouse, the American wife of a high-ranking diplomat in Paris, is arranging an official dinner crucial to her husband's career. As she shops for fresh stalks of asparagus and works out the menu and seating arrangements, her day is complicated by the unexpected arrival of her son and a random encounter with a Turkish man, whom she discovers is a suspected terrorist. Like Virginia Woolf did in Mrs. Dalloway, Anne Korkeakivi brilliantly weaves the complexities of an age into an act as deceptively simple as hosting a dinner party.

About Anne Korkeakivi

Anne Korkeakivi was born and raised in New York City but currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland, with her husband, who works at the United Nations, and two... more


Published: April 17, 2012 by Hachette Book Group

Genre: Action & Adventure, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense. Fiction. 288 pages

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Critic Reviews for An Unexpected Guest

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  • All Critics: 12
  • Positive: 7
  • Negative: 5

  • Fiction Writers Review | 27 Apr 2012

    delicious armchair travel... a satisfying reading experience

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    An Unexpected Guest

  • Kirkus Reviews | 19 Mar 2012

    a knowing comedy of manners, a politically charged thriller and a genuinely moving study of the human heart.

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    An Unexpected Guest

  • S. Krishna's Books | 7 Jun 2012

    The book is quiet, to be sure - it’s mostly a novel about getting through the day... In the end, it’s a bit predictable

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    An Unexpected Guest

  • The Booksellers New Zealand blog | 12 Jun 2012

    I did find the minutiae of Clare’s life incredibly dull... Plus there was just a shade too much French dialogue... It does lend a certain ‘Francais’ to the story but if you can’t read French simply a nuisance.

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    An Unexpected Guest

  • Pieces Blog | 11 May 2012

    a blend of straightforward storytelling and the gently lyrical... Emotionally intelligent and politically astute.

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    An Unexpected Guest

  • Just Another New Blog | 17 Apr 2012

    ...an irresistible story of many layers. The city of Paris comes to life in vibrant color... masterfully entwined with political turmoil and the intricacies of diplomatic life. An Unexpected Guest is a remarkable debut novel

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    An Unexpected Guest

  • Publishers Weekly | 27 Feb 2012

    Korkeakivi fluidly fuses the past and present, building a solid character in Clare and powerfully exploring whether redemption from past regrets is possible and the lengths one must go to attain it.

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    An Unexpected Guest

  • Genre Go Round Reviews | 8 Apr 2012

    super character driven tale that brilliantly contrasts polished high level diplomacy with violent revolutionary fervor.

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    An Unexpected Guest

  • Curled Up

    Since Korkeakivi is showing one day in Clare's life, acute attention is given to the passionate details of her domestic existence.

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    An Unexpected Guest

  • Washington Independent Review of Books

    There are too many characters with too many issues... None of these issues is explored in depth, either in terms of concrete detail or raw emotion. It is hard to understand or feel any of them.

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    An Unexpected Guest

  • Nicki Markus | 17 Apr 2012

    a book well-worth a read and one which will appeal to fans of literary fiction in the style of Mrs Dalloway.

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    An Unexpected Guest

  • Christian Science Monitor | 23 May 2012

    Clare herself can be a little frustrating as a character. Her obtuseness regarding her youngest, favorite son... made me want to shake her.

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    An Unexpected Guest

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