The Party By Robyn Harding

Author : Robyn Harding
Title : The Party
Published : 05/10/17
Pages : 352
Genre : Mystery Fiction
Publisher : Simon & Schuster UK

     Sweet sixteen. It's a coming of age, a milestone, a rite of passage. Of course, Jeff and Kim Sanders will throw a party for their daughter, Hannah. She's a good kid with good grades and nice friends. And it isn't going to be a big, indulgent affair. Just four girls coming over for pizza and cake, movies and a sleepover. What could possibly go wrong? But things do go wrong, horrifically wrong. After a tragic accident, Jeff and Kim's flawless life in a wealthy San Francisco suburb begins to unravel. The injured girl's mother, Lisa, files a lawsuit that turns friends into enemies, reveals dark secrets in the Sanders' marriage, and exposes the truth about their perfect daughter, Hannah. Lisa's determination to make the Sanders pay stems from a fierce love for her only child and Lisa's own dark and damaged past.

     I first heard about this book from a friend, she had loved reading it and had passed the name on to me to see if I felt the same way. Given the things it was compared to, it didn't sound like the sort of thing I would have picked up on my own, at last, if I had only seen the cover. I do know however that we have similar tastes when it comes to books, so I figured I would go get myself a copy and give it a go. I would say that when it comes to young adult novels I tend towards the crime side of things, I was hoping at least for an enjoyable read for a few hours.

     The story is told to us from multiple perspectives and points in time as we learn the events that take place at Hannah's party. This makes for me some interesting reading, you get to see how lies play out and bonds are broken. Through this mixing of perspective, the author really shows that you can't trust people, even those you choose to hold dear or call friends. It is fascinating to see how this author plays with people. In taking what would seem like a normal family, she goes on to use one single event to shatter everything they hold to be true. And it is within this drama that her story takes place. In what felt to me to be a very realistic way. I suppose If you were to pick a main hero for the plot it would come from Hannah as it was her birthday after all. She is someone that I always felt was holding back, It felt like she spent her time walking around the others to see what they may or may not know before letting things out. 

     I have seen a setting that brought on feelings of claustrophobia but this to me was the first in which a group of characters gave me the same effect. It's a very unnerving feeling to be a part of as they choose to turn on each other. And this is something the novel does as a whole, the author brings you into her world and makes you feel like apart of this group. She uses her skill as a witter to make it all feel very believable all the time ramping up the mystery surrounding the party. But it is no just this one event that adds problems to all those concerned, as we get to see it from different points of view we get to witness the different ways in which people deal with not only their pain but the guilt they feel about it. I went in feeling like this would be a simple page turner, but the author delivered a solid mystery and a complex look into what makes up a modern family. 

     This book took me a little by surprise, it gave me something far beyond what I had been hoping for. Once I started I could not put it down and completed it in one sitting. This I feel goes to show what an amazing writer the author is she gave me a story that I was desperate to see the outcome of. And the ending was thieving I could hope for. I urge you to go out and grab your self a copy.