The New York Times Book Review - Caryn James
Elizabeth Day's sly fourth novel is an enticing mix of social climbing, barely hidden lust and possible crimes…Building on generations of fiction dissecting the British class system, Day carries that theme into the 21st century, adding the swift pace of a psychological thriller…The Party knowingly nods toward Brideshead Revisited and The Talented Mr. Ripley. But Day refreshes their themes for an age in which the upper echelons retain their allure and their grasp on power while posing as common folk…Day's shrewd eye and authorial tone…provide a gleeful, edgy wit…[in] this smart, irresistible romp.
Publishers Weekly
06/19/2017
Fans of Herman Koch’s The Dinner will be tempted to check out Day’s fourth novel—both follow two couples with simmering emotional histories as they spend an upscale evening together, during which old resentments are revealed and something tragic occurs—but in this novel, the plot plays out predictably and is beset by obvious foreshadowing. Ben Fitzmaurice and Martin Gilmour, Londoners on the cusp of middle age, have been best friends since they met at public school in 1989, despite the fact that the former comes from a wealthy, titled background and the latter a hand-me-down existence. Ben and his beautiful wife, Serena, hold a party to celebrate their new home, Tipworth Priory, a former monastery. Martin and his more modest partner, Lucy, are invited. Now a successful art critic, Martin has never gotten over the meanness of his youth and rubs shoulders uneasily at the party with Ben’s posh guests, including the new prime minister. At the end of the evening, Ben and Serena ask to speak to Martin and Lucy in private, and that’s when things get out of hand. Ultimately, this is a hollow diatribe against the rich and entitled. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
"Elizabeth Day's psychological thriller, about an aristocrat's birthday party gone awry, updates Waugh, Highsmith and Fitzgerald... Day's sly fourth novel is an enticing mix of social, climbing, barely hidden list and possible crimes...THE PARTY knowingly nods toward Brideshead Revisited and The Talented Mr. Ripley. But Day refreshes their themes for an age in which the upper echelons retain their allure and their grasp on power while posing as common folk... Day's shrewd eye and authorial tone also provide a gleeful, edgy wit.... [a] smart, irresistible romp."—New York Times Book Review
"In this psychological page-turner, a deeply buried secret that ties two married couples together comes to a head during one lavish 40th birthday party."—Entertainment Weekly
"By page one of this devious, witty, thrilling book, you'll be as haplessly seduced by Ben Fitzmaurice's glamorous lifestyle as his old classmate, Martin Gilmour."—Refinery29
"[Martin] makes for a deliciously untrustworthy narrator; seemingly candid, but at the same time never telling the full story, perhaps because he's so good at keeping secrets.... Brimming with betrayal, corruption and hypocrisy, The Party is a gripping page-turner."—The Guardian
"Like Herman Koch co-wrote a literary page-turner with Patricia Highsmith-irresistible stuff."
—Bomb
"Rave-worthy."—Book Riot
"Witty, dark and compelling"
—Sebastian Faulks
"Superb—clever, gripping, psychologically acute."
—Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us
"Day's latest novel is sinister and seductive and nothing short of breathtaking."
—Francesca Segal, author of The Innocents
"Think Brideshead Revisited meets The Talented Mr. Ripley with a dash of The Riot Club. I couldn't put it down."
—Louise O'Neill, author of Asking For It
"I practically murdered this book in an evening I loved it so much. THE PARTY is a terrifying, hilarious, brilliantly written original with a wit to die for."—Phoebe Waller-Bridge, creator and star of Fleabag
Martin is a spellbinding storyteller who doles out details like they're a controlled substance... his narration is littered with keen yet cutting observations about people, their relationships, and society at large....Vividly sketched characters and evocative prose further distinguish the story, which ends on a note that both shocks and gratifies. Day's latest is a dark, haunting, and elegantly crafted tale of obsession, desperation, devastation, and rebirth."—Kirkus (starred review)
"This is a dark and compelling book of lifelong obsessions, jealousies and neuroses; of acute psychological complaint, of dissatisfactions, of isolation, loneliness and solipsistic rage."—The Observer
"A deft thriller.... Literary flashbacks, which can be jarring or even confusing, are masterfully illuminating in The Party: They tighten the tension and lead the reader naturally to the next clue or curiosity.... The Party is well-rounded and satisfying, not only as an accomplished page-turning mystery, but also for its in-depth examination of class, of marriage and friendship, and of deception, loyalty and ambition."—St. Louis Post Dispatch
"Day spellbindingly spools out the evening's events.... The Party is a splendid, stunning slow burn."
—Shelf Awareness
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2017-06-06
Tempers flare and loyalties fray when old friends gather for a lavish bash in the English countryside.A police interrogation provides the frame for this literary suspense novel from British author Day (Paradise City, 2015, etc.). Three weeks prior to Martin Gilmour's summons by the Tipworth PD, Britain's best and brightest gathered at charismatic power couple Ben and Serena Fitzmaurice's new vacation home—a former monastery—to celebrate Ben's 40th birthday. Also in attendance were misanthropic journalist Martin and his dowdy wife, Lucy, as Martin and Ben have been practically inseparable since boarding school. The question of what happened that night to attract the attention of the authorities is the skeleton on which Day's plot hangs, but the book's true mystery concerns the bond that links these two seemingly incompatible men. Martin is a spellbinding storyteller who doles out details like they're a controlled substance. He pauses frequently to reflect upon his complicated history with Ben and the unhappy childhood that preceded it, and his narration is littered with keen yet cutting observations about people, their relationships, and society at large. Excerpts from Lucy's journal fill the gaps and provide additional insight regarding her husband, their marriage, and the Fitzmaurices. Vividly sketched characters and evocative prose further distinguish the story, which ends on a note that both shocks and gratifies. Day's latest is a dark, haunting, and elegantly crafted tale of obsession, desperation, devastation, and rebirth.
