The Party by Elizabeth Day

We open the story in an interview room. Clearly something bad has happened at a ritzy house-party, and we work back from there, through the point of view of Martin and Lucy, a couple who were guests. The trouble is, they are both unreliable narrators and we are not sure what has happened anyway. The story delves back into the friendship of Martin and his best friend Ben, stretching all the way back to school days. Lucy entered Martin’s life later and clearly feels uncomfortable with the status quo. As the narration unfolds, we begin to realise there is something essentially off at the heart of this friendship, but whether it is just Martin’s needy assertion that they are besties, in the face of Ben’s effortless popularity, or something deeper, is not clear. Elizabeth Day manages to lead us by the nose, and the characters are authentic and convincing, exploring the marriage between Martin and Lucy too. A look at how the well-connected manage to win, regardless of their actions in life. Cleverly plotted and sophisticated, and some quality writing. But strangely, although the book only came out about a year ago, it already seems a bit dated. The party-goers are quite clearly personalities from the Cameron-era UK government, with references to the Notting Hill set, and so on, which highlights how quickly the political landscape can change. But if you can put that to one side, it’s a good read.