Dinner Party- Blog Tour

 

Author: Sarah Gilmartin

Publisher: Pushkin Press

Publishing Date: 16th September 2021 

Many thanks to the publishing team for my digital copy and joining the tour. 

Blurb 

Kate has taught herself to be careful, to be meticulous. To mark the anniversary of a death in the family, she plans a dinner party - from the fancy table settings to the perfect Baked Alaska waiting in the freezer.

Yet by the end of the night, old tensions have flared, the guests have fled, and Kate is spinning out of control. But all we have is ourselves, her father once said, all we have is family.

Set between the 1990s and the present day, from a farmhouse in Carlow to Trinity College, Dublin, Dinner Party is a dark, sharply observed debut that thrillingly unravels into family secrets and tragedy. As the past catches up with the present, Kate learns why, despite everything, we can't help returning home.

My Thoughts

A dark read with themes of; family dysfunction, lack of love, survival, eating disorder and grief. 

TW: Kate who is the protagonist in this book struggles with anorexia. We read and learn about this very early on. It really isn't an easy read but I think it was handled well and gave an insight to Kates emotions and feelings. 

We learn the Gleeson family gather every halloween in memory of Kates deceased twin Elaine. This is year is different as Kate, her 2 brothers Peter and Ray and sister in law Liz, are present but their mother isn't. Everything starts off well but as soon as the siblings discuss their mother it turns sour. 

What I really liked was how the author approached the fact that childhood trauma bleeds into a persons adult life and holds so many challenges that you are not aware of. I really felt for Kate, she was character that has been so much and you just want her to do well in life and someone to just reach out and hug her.

Kate always had a turbulent relationship with her mother since her early years. Her mother was evidently manipulative, embarrassing and abusive, alongside this she had a favourite child who was Elaine. Elaine and Kate were opposite and treated as such and her death caused unbearable grief in a variety of ways. Even as an adult, Kate has struggled to have a healthy relationship, she has an affair with a a married man, and struggles with her mental health. 

Even her siblings you can tell they haven't been able to fully move forward or enjoy their life as adults due to their upbringing. But it was nice to see they still made time for Kate, but had their own grief and dilemmas. 

It did jump back and forth and you could feel the tension bubbling and the unsaid words that eventually come out. At times I felt it was too much but I soon got the hang of it and it was OK. I liked the pace of the book as It wasn't fast but it gave me an opportunity to really understand these complex characters. 

Brilliant debut

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