I really enjoyed this book. It brought themes of Irish family life right to the fore along with the difficulties and the rows that go hand in hand as families navigate through their difficulties.

I must commend the author on her excellent writing and descriptions. I haven't come across such beautiful writing in a long time. The attention to detail really comes through, throughout the novel. I found myself in the family kitchen, connecting with the characters and on edge as I wondered what would happen. At times I found the plot a little hard to follow but I think it was my own setting rather than the book itself. It is a book that requires concentration and one that would be good for reading in a quiet spot, rather than the lighter reads which you can pick up and put down easily enough. That is testament to the brilliant writing from this debut author who is definitely one to watch and will only get better as time goes by.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy in return for an honest review.

There is nothing like a Sarah Gilmartin book I live the modern setting the real lives explored torn and healed perhaps but you just never know!

I love a good thriller but I have to say this kind of missed the mark for me. It was enjoyable but not particularly thrilling, quite easy to guess the ending.

This one took a little while for me to get into. The start was great, then dipped, then got really good again in the second half. Some great late scenes and an interesting read,

**This book comes with quite a few trigger warnings: family dysfunction, eating disorders, child death, and suicide attempts.**

Sarah Gilmartin's writing is excellent and kept me interested in the often very sad story in *Dinner Party: A Tragedy*. The blurb puts out some misconceptions, however. It made the book seem like there was one dinner party which spanned the entire novel, with flashbacks interspersed between courses like *Three Daughters of Eve* by Elif Shafak. The entire dinner party the blurb references takes place in the first chapter, and the following chapters go back in time and continue from there in chronological order.

The main character of this book, Kate, has been navigating adulthood with the grief of her deceased twin sister hanging over her. The titular dinner party takes place at her house where she invites her two brothers to remember the anniversary of their sister's death. Their mother does not come. In the chapters following this, we go back to the childhood of Kate and her siblings, where we meet their parents. Their mother is simultaneously efficient and supportive and dangerously unpredictable, which casts a shadow over the family's life on the rural Irish farm. Kate finds refuge from the instability of the house in her twin, Elaine. When Elaine inevitably dies, Kate and the rest of the family struggle to cope with the tragedy and spin in different directions, trying to escape the trauma.

Needless to say, this book is very sad and heavy. Kate continues to feel lost for the remainder of the book and we watch her life fall apart slowly.

I'm afraid I found this dreary and too much of a struggle to finish. The narrative voice lacks character, the whole dysfunctional family thing is such a well-established trope that it needs something to make it feel fresh or different and this one didn't manage that. This may work better for fans of family sagas than fans of litfic - just not for me - sorry!

2021 has been a year to remember for Pushkin Press: two books – very deservedly in my views - on the International Booker Prize shortlist – one of them “At Night All Blood is Black” the winner, and the same two books (the other being “When We Cease to Understand the World”) both appearing on Barack Obama’s recent 11-strong Summer 2021 reading list.

This, their latest English-language novel is by Sarah Gilmartin – her debut novel, although she is an award winning playwright and short story writer. She is however known to me, and I am sure many readers of literary fiction, for her excellent reviews in the Irish Times (reviews this year for example include Little Scratch, Open Water, Luster, Acts of Desperation, His Only Wife and A Lonely Man (her specialty I think, appropriately enough, being debut novels).

This novel is very much one of a nuclear Irish family dealing – dealing with the traumas that have occurred to them, the interactions between them both past and present, how childhood issues and words spoken play out for many years - the nuclear family term being I think particularly appropriate here in a book which explores both familial attraction and tension.

The book opens with the titular Dinner Party being held by Kate Gleeson in Dublin at Halloween 2018 – in what we immediately find out is the sixteenth anniversary of the death of her fraternal twin sister Elaine. Instead of the normal memorial style family gathering Kate has decided to cook for a small group – her oldest brother Peter (who has inherited the running of the family farm) and other brother Ray (now married – his wife also joins the party). Already we sense some of the shared histories (and resulting understandings and tensions) between the family members – and between all of them and their widowed Mother. We also sense that Kate has a difficult relationship with food.

As an aside the Party I think has a couple of false notes - a Baked Alaska incident which is perhaps a little too resonant with the Bake-Off #Bingate, and some funny Brownies

Subsequent sections range across time:

Back to the family farm in Carlow 1999 as we see the six minutes in age between Kate and Elaine turn into what seems like a widening chasm – partly at their mother’s encouragement for them to have different hobbies/interests (Elaine equestrianism) and partly due to Elaine hitting maturity much quicker. We also get a glimpse of the developing characters of Peter (both dutiful in helping run the farm but also looking for an escape to America), Ray (increasingly independent), of their solid but undemonstrative wedded-to-the-land Father and their Mother (who at least to me seems to be a manic depressive although that term is never used)

To Kate at University in Dublin in 2006 – where we see her eating disorders come to an early head: this section also includes some further retrospective on the events of October 2002

To Dublin in 2018 just before the Dinner Party and the dissolution of a relationship Kate is having with a married man (which is still haunting her at the Dinner Party) as well as section session immediately after the Party

And a culminating family gathering one year later (Halloween 2019) with the three surviving siblings and their mother which results in many (literally) home truths being told.

Overall I found this an involving novel – perhaps slightly less literary than I had expected, but a brave exploration of eating disorders and grief and a fascinating and realistic portrayal of family dynamics (the blurb from Anne Enright seems appropriate here as there are thematic similarities in their work).

Sorry! Not a book for me. It started off well as a group of siblings meet on the anniversary of the death of their twin sister. There's obviously an undercurrent of family issues that bubble throughout the meal. I was interested in finding out more; particularly the circumstances of the death and the reason for the obvious discourse. However, I found it a slow, ramble of a read, that moved backwards and forwards and just seemed to be a litany of dysfunction.

It's an Irish family drama and as I'm Irish, there were definite recognisable traits; but, it just didn't seem to have any hook to ensure I stuck with it. But, stick with it I did, only to be left disappointed.

1* I didn't like it.

I do appreciate the opportunity to have been able to preview and thanks to NetGalley and the publishers.

This was longer than it needed to be especially against what it was sold as. I expected a one scene novella focused on a tense dinner party, but that was 5% of a much larger novel about family dysfunction. I enjoyed it even though it had the feel of a plot not fully thought out, which meandered more than progressed. ⁣⁣
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Kate is in her early 30s and grappling with an eating disorder that rears its head at a dinner party with her siblings. Its roots are in familial trauma inflicted by an abusive and temperamental mother and the death of her vibrant twin sister in a freak accident. Nothing much really happens in this book, but it’s a fairly powerful rendering of how childhood trauma endures into and shapes adulthood. ⁣
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#DinnerParty #SarahGilmartin

I loved this tense, literary page-turner. It was dark and menacing, blackly comic, and richly detailed. Great characters and writing brought it to life.

Every year, on Halloween, Kate Gleeson, and her family, get together for the anniversary of the death of her twin sister, Elaine. This novel follows them through various events in their family life; from past to present and weaving the complicated strands of family relationships. Kate’s beloved father is a farmer, her brother, Peter, set to follow him and run the farm. Kate’s other brother, Ray, marries Liz and tries to start a new life away from the pull of the family home.

Mostly, this pull is the dominating presence of their mother. For the Gleeson’s are a family rules by their mother’s moods and tempers, her never-ending desire for sympathy and attention, her rages, and criticisms. As the novel gives glimpses of the family relationships, we see how Kate begins to self-destruct and the author cleverly touches on comments and remarks which bring about a difficult relationship for Kate with, not only her mother, but food.

I thought this was a remarkable novel and I loved every word. Sarah Gilmartin captured the difficulties, but also the importance, of family. Her dialogue was excellent, her creation of Bernadette Gleeson suddenly shocking, then utterly poignant. I think this will, undoubtedly, be one of my favourite reads of the year. I received a copy of the book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

To mark the anniversary of a death in the family, Kate meticulously plans a dinner party - from the fancy table setting to the perfect baked Alaska waiting in the freezer. But by the end of the night, old tensions have flared, the guests are gone, and Kate is spinning out of control.

The story is well told, moving backwards and forwards in such a seamless yet unexpected manner that facts are discovered in a rather thrilling manner. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

A really great read! The Dinner Party of the title is a catalyst for the author to present the story of Kate and her family and the issues that have affected them over the last 20 years. It presents (a familiar?) image of family life, resentments simmering underneath, things left unsaid and does it in a really realistic way. It was a little slow to start with but soon started to heat up. An enjoyable read overall.

This was an interesting read for me, the story started off very slowly and I guess I assumed it would centre around a dinner party but it was such a small part of the overall story.

That said, it grew on me and I ended up invested in Kate and hoping her life would get back on track while she went no contact with her mother. The dysfunction of the family and the relationships within it and yet there is a loyalty to their mother that is difficult to understand when you are not part of it, really struck a chord with me as a parent. The tragedy of the deaths within the family and the fallout from it all were really interesting to read as well as really sad.

It’s the anniversary the siblings spend together like every year. Kate has neatly prepared everything in her small apartment for her oldest brother Peter and the younger one Ray with his wife Liz. 16 years were not enough to get over the loss of her twin sister Elaine whom she remembers like yesterday. The atmosphere is tense and soon after dinner the guests leave, but Ray returns with a special present which sends Kate back in the time when she and Elaine were just kids, then teenagers and the fateful day of her death. Yet, it was not just this tragic event that made the family unhappy, even long time before, none of them did real lead the life they wanted and, seemingly, neither do they in the present.

I was a bit astonished about the novel, even though the title is “Dinner Party”, Sarah Gilmartin grants this only a brief chapter in the novel, however, it is the event that triggers the memories in Kate and explains how she became the lonely, highly obsessive woman we meet at the beginning. The author added a subtitle, “A Tragedy”, which is totally adequate in terms of the suffering and the sorrowful event the protagonist has to go through. Yet, I am not sure if the reader can feel something like a catharsis while reading. For me, it was a very sad novel showing the impact parents and the family constitution can have on a child and the adult he or she becomes.

Quite naturally, the young twin sisters have a strong bond and can understand each other without words. On their farm, they are far away from other kids and exposed to their mother’s moods. She comes from one of the best families and expects her kids to excel in their ascribed fields, Kate play the piano, for Elaine it is horse-riding. The older brothers have long been a disappointment for the mother, especially Peter with his plans to emigrate to the US. Becoming teenagers does not help the situation and the tensions between mother and father, but also between the two sisters become more and more obvious.

The protagonist is naturally the most striking character. Even as kids, she and Elaine have never been really equal. Elaine was to more extrovert and outgoing twin, she dictated for both of them what to do. From fear of her mother’s frequent outbursts, Kate quickly tries to become the diligent and obedient girl who does everything right. Also as a teenager, she does not rebel but she cannot get over the feeling of being the less loved daughter, the one who does not achieve what is expected from her, the one who can never do anything right. Controlling her feelings and emotions ultimately leads to an obsessive behaviour and when she has found something that is totally controllable, she quite naturally develops an eating disorder.

Dysfunctional relationships, a lack of love and positive support – the best ingredients to hinder a girl from becoming an emotionally stable and self-confident adult. The experiences of the young Kate reflect the problems she shows as an adult. She isn’t able to have a good relationship, she is much too insecure and, on the other hand, she never could get free of her mother and her impact on her feelings. A great character development which gives you also a lot of food for thought.

This story is full of trigger warnings including death, trauma and eating disorders.

Usually, I don't shy away from books with trigger warnings however, I really struggled with this one. It just wasn't for me.

I did find it powerful and I can see why other reviewers have really enjoyed it I feel like for me it was too dark and I found it challenging.

A deeply dysfunctional family has been broken apart by selfishness and grief. None of the siblings gathered for The Dinner Party can live a happy life. The family is ruled over by a capricious and unhinged mother. The story was too full of misery and misfortune for me to enjoy much.

I loved how the narrative went back and forth between past and present to tell this incredibly poignant story of a family torn by loss and grief. All characters were so well defined and each added a richness to the story. I would definitely read this author again

The premise of this novel sounded brilliant, but unfortunately it fell short for me. I struggled to connect to the characters and the story just felt very uneven.

This book sounded right up my street by the synopsis, but unfortunately it fell short of the mark for me. I wasn't madly in love with it, felt it a bit draggy and even boring in places. Good story but just wasn't really for me personally.