The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella (The Dial Press)

The Party Crasher follows Effie as she copes with her parents' divorce, and her father has a younger girlfriend, Krista. When her childhood home, Greenoaks, is sold, Krista decides to throw an extravagant farewell party. Poor Effie, though, isn't invited; instead, she receives an odd anti-invitation. At the end of the day, she sneaks into the party, motivated by the memory she wants to take back, only to uncover family secrets that make everything she thought she knew change. The party becomes the launching pad for Effie's internal battle with her identity and what she wants.

This is the story of Effie learning to discover herself and the acceptance of change. Initially, she is really shut down, even more so concerning Krista, whom she considers to be an entrykeeper into her inner circle. However, during the party, Effie realises that the rest of her family, her siblings and her dad, has their own issues, as much as she believed they had magical lives. Just when she thinks it couldn't get worse, Joe, Effie's ex, shows up too, bringing up everything related to past pain and future possibility. The side characters are real with their pros and cons adding to the family dynamic.

The book is about accepting change and finding one's place when family ties disintegrate. Grief, envy, and the need to forgive are emotions one can encounter these days with blended families and broken relationships. The house becomes a symbol for memory and identity, emphasizing how the past shapes us but does not simply control us. It makes one reflect on the bitterness we cling to and what it means to forgive when things don't get better.

However, Kinsella's great skill in writing lightheadedly on very deep feelings makes this book very funny and easy to read. There is a balance between humor and sadness, and the plot moves quickly along, through virtually one night, so there's a sense of urgency to it. The dialogue between the characters is funny and relaxed, giving a feeling of life to the characters. The storyline itself is both nostalgic and tense, the value of the emotion that is so tied to this drama is very well articulated by the big, old house and the liveliness of the party.

Family relationships never really make sense in the end, and this is how the book moves with its ups and downs; it catches all emotions. This will bring comfort to many readers because it has Effie's open-stubborn contradiction. Some things are stereotypes; some are not really new and fresh, but the focus on the party and interactions among the characters keeps it interesting. 

The Party Crasher will fit into all of Kinsella's other books in which everyday happenings represent the greater emotional truths. Entertaining and slightly serious, this would make a reader think about family ties and what it requires to let go when the past weighs heavily on one's mind.

4/5