"Anne Korkeakivi's writing has all the best qualities of an Ishiguro novel. Clare, a seemingly selfless diplomat's wife, the epitome of restraint and hermetic detachment, unravels before us into a woman of dangerous allegiances, passions, and moral dilemmas, in prose that is both beautiful and razor sharp. Paris is depicted with subtle complexity, a city that reposes as it threatens, full of scorn and grace. Korkeakivi's sense of detail is remarkable while grounded in authenticity. An Unexpected Guest is a feast of a novel."
—George Hagen, author of The Laments
" This beautifully modulated first novel follows one day in the life of a British diplomat's American wife as she organizes a dinner party crucial to her husband's career...Struggling to sort out questions of loyalty, moral expediency and love while calmly carrying out the mundane responsibilities of her life, Clare finds a path to forgiveness and redemption. Yes, this is an homage to Virginia Woolf; echoes of Clarissa Dalloway resonate through Clare Moorhouse....but Clare takes very different lessons from her day than Clarissa. With this seemingly slight day-in-the-life tale, Korkeakivi produces a knowing comedy of manners, a politically charged thriller and a genuinely moving study of the human heart."—Kirkus, Starred Review
"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."—Publisher's Weekly
"In this first novel, Korkeakivi updates Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway with a new heroine....The book is as wonderfully self-possessed as it leading lady, and winningly suspenseful as well."—Whole Living Magazine
"An Unexpected Guest is a quietly intelligent novel about a woman who, at long last, learns to be honest with herself."
—Yvonne Zipp, Christian Science Monitor
"Cooly composed...."—Ihsan Taylor, The New York Times Book Review
"In this first novel, Korkeakivi updates Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway with a new heroine....The book is as wonderfully self-possessed as it leading lady, and winningly suspenseful as well."
It’s not surprising that the prolific short-fiction writer Korkeakivi’s debut novel takes place over a 24-hour period. What is surprising is the depth and magnitude she attains from what first appears to be a thin premise. Clare Moorhouse is the wife of a British diplomat stationed in Paris, a man in line for a promotion to the ambassadorship of Ireland. All Clare has to do is host an elegant dinner with top-ranking officials—and make sure it runs smoothly. It’s something she’s done a thousand times, but this evening is different. The mention of Ireland triggers a flood of memories regarding a youthful but grave mistake she made in college that she’s never forgiven herself for. Running errands throughout the city in preparation for the party, she’s forced to face the demons she’s been carrying by encounters with two men–one of whom has been dead for more than 20 years. 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. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman. (Apr.)
"Cooly composed...."
"A thriller-like tale of a British diplomat's wife in Paris intent on pulling off the perfect dinner party while plagued by memories of past indiscretion."
"Anne Korkeakivi knows her expat life as well as the protocol of diplomacy-from the flowers and trees and markets of Paris to the meetings behind closed doors. Clare is an observant, intelligent woman whose elegant existence includes endless dinner arrangements, to-do lists, and the necessity of irreproachable behavior. Yet she has a secret that seems destined to burst and shatter her comfortable life and that of her family. An Unexpected Guest will draw you in and keep you breathlessly turning pages, even as you admire its intelligence and fine writing."
"Anne Korkeakivi writes wonderfully about embassy manners, food, and Paris, and she writes even better about the darker world that threatens to disrupt not just Clare's seating plan for dinner but her entire life. An Unexpected Guest, like its heroine, is a novel of great elegance, enormous surprises, and unexpected depths."
"An Unexpected Guest is a compelling debut novel that elegantly unfolds its narrative of a 24-hour period in the life of a diplomat's wife, one of the year's most complex and unforgettable literary characters."
"Deep private tension animates the perfect ambassador's wife as she manages one of the most important days of her husband's career, the complexities of her surprising past converging rapidly upon the present where an entire emotional life is balancing on a delicate, invisible wire. A beautifully written novel about living with our many selves."
"Anne Korkeakivi's writing has all the best qualities of an Ishiguro novel. Clare, a seemingly selfless diplomat's wife, the epitome of restraint and hermetic detachment, unravels before us into a woman of dangerous allegiances, passions, and moral dilemmas, in prose that is both beautiful and razor sharp. Paris is depicted with subtle complexity, a city that reposes as it threatens, full of scorn and grace. Korkeakivi's sense of detail is remarkable while grounded in authenticity. An Unexpected Guest is a feast of a novel."
"Like Virginia Woolf did in Mrs. Dalloway, Korkeakivi brilliantly weaves the complexities of an age into an act as deceptively simple as hosting a dinner party."
"A taut tender suspenseful novel, delicately told."
"An Unexpected Guest is a lovingly detailed account of a day in the life of the wife of a British diplomat in Paris. But what a day! She deals with protocol, place settings and a temperamental cook and at the same time a troubled son, an Irish complication, and a suspected Turkish terrorist. Virginia Woolf meets Eric Ambler-and readers meet a charming heroine who rises to all occasions."
"[In] this promising debut novel... Korkeakivi shares Woolf's flair for making everyday rituals (buying flowers, setting the table) seem profound."
"Korkeakivi creates a Paris as crisp and unruffled as her heroine-and just as likely to surprise."
"An Unexpected Guest is a quietly intelligent novel about a woman who, at long last, learns to be honest with herself."
"Beautifully written....emotional and riveting....this book is a winner!"
"Serious geopolitics mixes with parenthood and the finer points of entertaining.... Like her protagonist, Korkeakivi's writing is cool, calm and composed."
"[A] captivating first novel about appearances concealing truth."
The American wife of the British minister in Paris, Clare Moorhouse is suddenly tasked with hosting a dinner that could have profound consequences for her husband's career. She manages with her usual aplomb, even as she frets about her younger son, who seems to have committed a serious offense at his school back in England. More troubling is the thought of her husband's probable next posting to Ireland, a place she has avoided for decades because of some transgression in her youth. As the story unfolds, we learn that this transgression was not mild; during her college years, she had become involved with Niall, an aunt's "charity case" over from Ireland, and his violent opposition to the continuing British presence in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, a French politician has been assassinated, and Clare continues prodding her injured conscience when she realizes that she saw the suspected killer far from the site of the crime. VERDICT Moving between the starched-napkin ambience of high-level diplomacy and urgent questions of revolutionary activity, this engaging debut novel gently probes both without forcing insurmountable choices on its characters. Good for reading groups.—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal
This novel is so adeptly performed that in losing oneself in the suspenseful plot, one completely forgets that just a single actor puts forth so many characters. Ellen Archer's accents, lovely French pronunciation, vocal range, and perceptive expressions distinctively portray Clare, the story’s chronicler, who is the American wife of a top British diplomat in Paris. Other well-performed principals include Clare’s very English husband; her past lover, who was a member of the IRA; her teenage son; a suspected Turkish terrorist; and a host of singular supporting roles. The novel, which is reminiscent of Virginia Woolf’s MRS. DALLOWAY, is set on a pivotal day as Clare prepares for a delightful official dinner upon which the future of her husband's diplomatic career depends. At first appearing to be the model of restraint and decorum, Clare is gradually revealed as a woman with a past filled with dangerous allegiances and moral dilemmas. As the novel evokes an exquisite Parisian spring day, Clare's steamy past threatens her family's future, and Archer matches the author's taut wit and luscious imagery moment by moment. A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
This novel is so adeptly performed that in losing oneself in the suspenseful plot, one completely forgets that just a single actor puts forth so many characters. Ellen Archer's accents, lovely French pronunciation, vocal range, and perceptive expressions distinctively portray Clare, the story’s chronicler, who is the American wife of a top British diplomat in Paris. Other well-performed principals include Clare’s very English husband; her past lover, who was a member of the IRA; her teenage son; a suspected Turkish terrorist; and a host of singular supporting roles. The novel, which is reminiscent of Virginia Woolf’s MRS. DALLOWAY, is set on a pivotal day as Clare prepares for a delightful official dinner upon which the future of her husband's diplomatic career depends. At first appearing to be the model of restraint and decorum, Clare is gradually revealed as a woman with a past filled with dangerous allegiances and moral dilemmas. As the novel evokes an exquisite Parisian spring day, Clare's steamy past threatens her family's future, and Archer matches the author's taut wit and luscious imagery moment by moment. A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
