The Guest Room: An Audible Book Review

Wow.....all I can say is Wow!!  This latest novel by Chris Bohjalian is mind boggling and frightening...not Stephen King scary, more like John Grisham scary....like OMG, these things really happen right under our noses and we are oblivious to it.

This novel, about the very real and ongoing problem of Sex Slavery.  Every day, young girls are taken from their homes and lives and turned into slaves that are used to provide sexual release to men who either don't realize or don't care.  I had, of course, heard about sex slaves and I know that there is a sex crime ring that is located in a neighboring State but I never really understood.  Oh sure, if something was mentioned on the news or in the media....I would tsk tsk  and shake my head at the evil in the world.  I know that many young girls run away from disfunctional families and wind up in the hands of men who exploit them and use them for monetary gain.  But listening to these narrators, who were so excellent and who drew you into the story so well, was like being hit between the eyes with a brick.  It was the difference of knowing that cancer is a terrible disease and then having someone you love or yourself get cancer and KNOWING it is a terrible disease.  

Chris Bohjalian is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. In this novel he brings  to life a young woman who was forced into prostitution.  It also tells the story of an average American, middle class family and how their lives were torn apart by the sex slave trade as well.  I normally prefer reading a book myself over an audible book but I can't believe that I would have enjoyed reading this book nearly as much as I enjoyed listening to it.  Mozhan Marno and Grace Experience did that tremendous of a job.