The Guest Room -- thank you for taking Alexandra under your wing

Dear Friends who Read and Readers who are Friends,

I am now through 5 of the 20 stops on "The Guest Room" book tour, and it has been such a pleasure to meet so many of you on the road. I hope I get to many more of you in the coming two weeks: I am so grateful to all of you for your faith in my work.

And I am deeply appreciative of the way some readers and critics are taking Alexandra -- the Armenian sex slave born Anahit -- under their wing:

“The book’s real throbbing heart is Anahit, an aspiring young dancer from Armenia who was tricked into the life of rape and prostitution that brought her to Richard’s home. The narrative steadily and masterfully slinks away from Richard and over to Anahit, and in her chapters we discover a deep portrait of a brutalized and manipulated young woman…The narrative’s frequent somersaults from Anahit’s devastating backstory to the Chapman family’s more sheltered world is a remarkable artistic feat. . .a steely exploration of the very human cost of bachelor parties and other games of male pleasure.”
-- Eliot Schrefer, USA Today

"Well-written and psychologically astute. . .Alexandra is the conscience in this conscienceless world, a girl who manages to hold on to her innocence and compassion despite the horror of her life. Her voice, with its sometimes uncertain, quirky English, is rendered with such perfection that it's easy to forget that the author is male. This, the book tells us, is what happens to the innocent. . .enjoyable."
- Arlene McKanic, BookPage

"Heartbreaking. . .I won't give away of the surprising twists and turns that The Guest Room takes on the path to Bohjalian's daring conclusion; I'll only note that much of the pleasure that comes from reading any well-constructed narrative lies in trying to anticipate how the author will write himself out of seemingly inescapable corners. But here, for a change, we also have a novelist who seems more concerned with examining and dramatizing a much more universal question: whether, in the end, any amount of love or compassion, retreat or nobility or forgiveness, can overcome the remorseless workings of evil."
-- Skip Horack, The San Francisco Chronicle

"Bohjalian's deft and light-handed storytelling makes this book a compelling and captivating read. In particular, his treatment of guilt and paranoia is realistic and downright scary. You will remember Richard and Alexandra long after the last page."
-- Tracy Sherlock, The Vancouver Sun

"Bohjalian is at his best in The Guest Room, one of his most compelling books so far, combining an explosive premise, a timely social topic, and fast-paced storytelling with a purpose."
-- Amy Driscoll, The Miami Herald

"The Guest Room has an edge-of-the-seat momentum that propels the reader straight to the last page...For those who value the well-researched novel, the author's 18th book will please."
-- Anita Shreve, The Washington Post

"Chris Bohjalian keeps readers turning each page. . .painfully honest. . .compelling."
-- Amanda St. Amand, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

As some of you know, I missed Alexandra so much this autumn that I wrote a short story about her.

In any case, I thank you all. Truly.

To 2016: may -- somehow -- our world find peace.

All the best,

Chris B.

PS: You can see the 15 stops that remain on the tour at www.ChrisBohjalian.com .