The Night Guest (novel)

The Night Guest is a 2012 novel by Australian author Fiona McFarlane. It explores themes of aging, memory loss, cultural displacement, and the complexities of familial relationships. The story centers on Ruth, an elderly woman living in a small Australian coastal town, who is increasingly affected by dementia. She believes she is being visited each night by a tiger, a figment of her imagination likely rooted in her childhood spent in Fiji.

Ruth's adult son, Dan, arranges for a care worker, Frida, to come and help manage her. Frida is a Fijian woman, which triggers both comfort and suspicion in Ruth due to her failing memory and association with her past. The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of Ruth and Frida, revealing their inner thoughts and struggles as they navigate their evolving relationship amidst Ruth's declining mental state. The novel explores the challenges of providing care for the elderly, the blurring lines between reality and illusion, and the lingering impact of colonial history on individual lives. The tiger serves as a metaphor for Ruth's fears, anxieties, and the fading memories that haunt her.