Review: Nice, leisurely read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 4, 2013
The Uninvited Guest is an easy read with lovely setting details.  The tone and vocabulary are colloquial which work great with the POV as the narrator is telling the reader "about this crazy thing that happened at a wedding" years past.  As a young man who's been to several weddings, I could easily relate to Harlan.  The feeling of boredom at this wedding is palpable.Jose's relationship with his mother was a very nice touch.  It added depth to the character but worked well for the plot, too.  The wedding is first presented as an event Harlan and Jose weren't too thrilled to attend and the mother functions as a killjoy at times.I'm on the fence about the structure. Harlan lets on early in the story that these events happen in the past. The scene with the "uninvited guest" is less suspenseful since we know everything will turn out ok.  Don't get me wrong.  It's certainly a terrifying situation.  The reader can't help but wonder how Harlan will get out of it.  However, the situation would be more pressing if we knew Harlan's life were really at stake.I must admit though the climax is strong and it did make me wonder for a moment if I misread the beginning and Harlan was actually narrating what lead to his death.While the tone is meant to be colloquial, there a few repeat phrases that lose their effect after being told so many times.  Ratliff does a good job SHOWING that his characters are young, slightly immature males.  He does such as good job showing it, that after Harlan rationalizes his actions with a reminder of his age and "how teenagers act", it becomes redundant.Another such phrase is "don't get me wrong."  When I see it, it's like Harlan as the narrator feels the need to do some extra explaining.  Trust the reader.  By Harlan taking the time to explain away every doubt the reader MAY have, it pulls away from the action with the "uninvited guest," which is what drives the story.  Also, it reminds me that Harlan is fine in the future, so I don't need to worry whether or not he'll make it out of this ok.That said Ratliff is talented.  The descriptions are nice and there several phrases that I highlighted as outstanding.  There's a moment later in the story when Harlan is staring at Seville and he "sees" what she will look like when she is older because of the stress.  The timing was perfect and it was magnificiently done.It's a pleasant, easy read, so I'd recommend it for anyone, but especially for any young men heading to wedding they expect to find boring.