The Guest Room

Tess has a bad habit. She can’t stop snooping through her guests’ belongings . . .

When Tess is forced to rent out her late sister’s old room to pay the bills, the urge to rummage through her guests’ belongings overtakes her every thought. Teasing herself with forbidden glimpses into the lives of strangers is a momentary thrill, but it’s the closest she’s felt to anyone since the mysterious death of her sister, Rosie.

After her newest lodger, Arran, takes the room, Tess finds his salaciously detailed diary, which chronicles his infatuation with a beautiful stranger. The diary, which appears harmless at first, slowly takes a darker, more menacing tone with each new entry. Is this a crush or an obsession?

Her compulsion to know the truth leads to Tess shadowing Arran through the streets of London, hoping to catch a glimpse of this unnamed woman. And as she continues to peruse his diary, she can’t help but notice the similarities between the woman on the pages and herself.

Tasha Sylva’s thrilling debut, perfect for readers of A.J. Finn and Lucy Foley, will keep you asking, Who has truly been watching whom?

Tasha Sylva is an aspiring small-scale farmer, with a focus on regenerative agriculture, community and localization. She is currently based in the southwest of England, after time in London, Scotland and southern Spain. For her, the power of story is fundamental, as is the power of language. She regularly asks: how can we foster curiosity and imagination? And, importantly, human connection - to each other, soil, plants and all threads of our environment. When not writing, she can be found swimming in the sea or watching birds. The Guest Room is her debut novel.