Format: Paperback ARC
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publishing Date: June 6, 2017
Rating:★★★★
Synopsis from publisher's website:
In this stunning and provocative domestic drama about a sweet sixteen birthday party that goes horribly awry, a wealthy family in San Francisco finds their picture-perfect life unraveling, their darkest secrets revealed, and their friends turned to enemies.
One invitation. A lifetime of regrets.
Sweet sixteen. It’s an exciting coming of age, a milestone, and a rite of passage. Jeff and Kim Sanders plan on throwing a party for their daughter, Hannah—a sweet girl with good grades and nice friends. Rather than an extravagant, indulgent affair, they invite four girls over for pizza, cake, movies, and a sleepover. What could possibly go wrong?
But things do go wrong, horrifically so. After a tragic accident occurs, Jeff and Kim’s flawless life in a wealthy San Francisco suburb suddenly begins to come apart. In the ugly aftermath, friends become enemies, dark secrets are revealed in the Sanders’ marriage, and the truth about their perfect daughter, Hannah, is exposed.
Harkening to Herman Koch’s The Dinner, Christos Tsiolkas’s The Slap, and Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies, The Party takes us behind the façade of the picture-perfect family, exposing the lies, betrayals, and moral lapses that neighbors don’t see—and the secrets that children and parents keep from themselves and each other.
Review:
The Party drew me in right from the start. Harding does a marvelous job with setting the tone of the novel with Kim waking up from a deep sleep, only to find her daughter's hands covered in blood. If that doesn't keep you wanting more, I don't know what else will!
Harding is extremely meticulous in her development of the book's characters and the construction of the book's plot. Kim wants nothing more than to continue and maintain the facade of raising the perfect family. Jeff, Kim's husband, conceals secrets of his own that can do noting but damage to his and his family's reputation. We also cannot forget the bond that teenage girls have and their ability to keep even the darkest secrets from themselves and their loved ones.
The events contained within The Party hold as proof that anyone's life can change from one minute to the next. In some scenarios, it could be for the better and in others, it could be a part of the continued downward spiral that rips families and friendships apart. One guess as to which of these two options Kim & Jeff go through as the events of Hannah's party unravels...
The Party pulls you in instantly. The pace and unexpected twists and turns keep you locked on the story leading up to Hannah's Sweet Sixteen and the aftermath that is left in its wake. If you're looking for your next unputdownable read, this is it!
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of The Party by Robyn harding from Simon & Schuster Canada for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I have heard about this author! He is very perspective! thanks a lot for the review, I was searching for his book! you make my dreams come true!
ReplyDeleteThis is on my reading list. I actually got the recommendation from a friend I met in a party I was attending in an event space San Francisco has. We were discussing poetry and literature and he started talking about new releases and “The Party” came up.
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