The Overnight Guest

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses sexual assault, domestic violence, murder, child endangerment, miscarriage, and gun use.

In The Overnight Guest, the characters are exposed to traumas including murder, sexual assault, and police brutality. These traumas directly influencing the characters’ behavior and relationships, showing the extensive influence of trauma on a person’s life. However, because no two experiences with trauma are the same, its effects manifest in significantly different ways across the characters.

Wylie’s life is guided by her negative self-image, as she identifies herself as undeserving of good things. This sense of shame stems directly her suspicion that she could have saved her family or protected Becky; Wylie puts a heavy burden on her past self, certain she should have acted more like an adult when she was still a child. This belief highlights the disconnect between Wylie’s perception and reality, minimizing her identity as a survivor and instead placing her in the role of a blameful victim. The already budding belief is formalized during a childhood altercation with Margo Allen, Becky’s mother, during which Margo repeatedly and aggressively asks, “[D]on’t you want to help [Becky]?” (227). Because she is unable to help Margo, Becky, and her family, Wylie internalizes her powerlessness, leading her to a long life of intentional isolation.