UNNERVING PARTY
Novel follows sweet 16
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.
What begins as a well-planned party for their daughter Hannah’s 16th birthday — think: an evening of pizza, cake and ice cream — quickly devolves into a horrific event for parents Jeff and Kim Sanders.
The tale of a seemingly innocent and controlled celebration spiralling terribly out of control is the central storyline of Robyn Harding’s new novel, The Party. But it’s not just the evening’s central tragic event that becomes the most disturbing element of this novel. Not even close.
The book begins with Kim being woken in the night by her teenage daughter’s tearful cries. As she awakens from her deep slumber (aided by earplugs and a bite of Ambien), she comes to realize her daughter’s hands are covered in something she never would have expected to see: blood.
The ensuing tale is one of unimaginable aftershocks following the evening’s chaos. It’s risk, deception and scandal — with a hefty dose of personal gain and greed peppered in.
When Hannah’s friend Ronnie is badly injured at the party (this book brings a whole new meaning to the term, “it’s all fun and games until somebody loses an eye,”) the Sanders’ controlled upper-class San Francisco existence is shaken to its core.
Each chapter provides not only increasing clarity into the true order of the evening’s ill-fated party, but also a truer study of the characters who, at the beginning of the book, seemed so squeaky-clean.
Vancouver-based author Harding’s writing is conversational and quick. Her characters read, on paper, much like one would imagine their own inner and outer dialogue would be recorded on a page. And perhaps that’s what serves to be so unnerving about this book. The Sanders’ tale of woe really does feel like it could happen to anyone.
With more twists and turns than a turn on the wooden coaster at the PNE, The Party delivers a thoroughly damning view of not only the superficial value set that the appearancesdriven family it’s centred around holds so dear — but also broader modern values, in general.
From Kim and Jeff ’s increasingly tenuous relationship, to the shudder-inducing cruelty of the teenagers, including Hannah, Ronnie and a very troubled teen named Lauren, the story is as much a reminder of how many secrets we can all harbour — and how appearances aren’t always what they seem.
And, at the very least, The Party provides a surefire reminder of just how mean kids can be. (Read: shockingly).
Drugs, adultery, greed, lawsuits — and more than a fair share of social climbing and teenage bullying — The Party is an unnerving novel that will likely leave readers feeling unsettled, but fully entertained.
It’s risk, deception and scandal — with a hefty dose of personal gain and greed peppered in.