The Party

Description

AN OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAR A gripping story of betrayal, privilege and hypocrisy, set in the unassailable heart of the British establishment. '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 ItMartin Gilmour and Ben Fitzmaurice have been best friends for 25 years, since their days together at Burtonbury School. They are an unlikely pair: the scholarship boy with the wrong accent and clothes, and the dazzlingly popular, wealthy young aristocrat. But Martin knows no one else can understand the bond they share - and no one else could have kept Ben's secret for over two decades. At Ben's 40th birthday party, the cream of the British establishment gathers in a haze of champagne, drugs and glamour. Amid the politicians, the celebrities, the old money and the newly rich, Martin once again feels that pang of not quite belonging. His wife Lucy has her reservations, too. There is something unnerving in the air. But Ben wouldn't do anything to damage their friendship. Would he?

Reviews

'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 'Superb - clever, gripping, psychologically acute' Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us '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 'As sharp, stylish and witty as the perfect guest. Beware: you'll be up far too late' Lucie Whitehouse, author of Before We Met 'Elizabeth Day's latest novel is sinister and seductive and nothing short of breathtaking' Francesca Seagal, author of The Innocents 'The Party is a compelling read, but it's a lot more than a page turner. Like Martin, the protagonist, we as readers are sucked into the lives of the privileged few and, like Martin, in turn tittilated, appalled, bewitched and ultimately punched in the stomach by their casual cruelty. We may have seen a hundred stories like this on the news, but Elizabeth Day's perfectly pitched dialogue and vivid prose brings it all to life' Catherine Chanter, author of The Well

Author description

Elizabeth Day is the author of three previous novels. Her acclaimed debut Scissors, Paper, Stone, won a Betty Trask Award and Home Fires was an Observer book of the year. Her third, Paradise City, was named one of the best novels of 2015 in the Evening Standard. She is also an award-winning journalist and has written extensively for the Telegraph, The Times, the Guardian, the Observer, the Mail on Sunday, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Elle. @elizabday www.elizabethdayonline.co.uk