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novelvisits 's review for:
The Party Upstairs
by Lee Conell
Note:I received a copy of this book from Penguin Press (in print and via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest thoughts.
The Party Upstairs takes place in a single day, and alternates perspectives between Martin, an Upper West Side building super, and his 24-year old daughter, Ruby. Ruby has recently lost her job and her boyfriend and has had to move back into her parent’s basement apartment. Tension is running high between the two as they repeatedly try and fail to really connect. I also liked that Conell explored the differences between classes within the building, especially with Martin who always had to worry about keeping the wealthy tenants. But, other parts of Martin became annoying: his obsessions with meditation and birds and his frequent “advice” from a favorite deceased resident. Ruby, too I both liked and didn’t. I sympathized with her sort of “stuck” position, but she also did some really crazy things! Overall, The Party Upstairs was just okay for me.
The Party Upstairs takes place in a single day, and alternates perspectives between Martin, an Upper West Side building super, and his 24-year old daughter, Ruby. Ruby has recently lost her job and her boyfriend and has had to move back into her parent’s basement apartment. Tension is running high between the two as they repeatedly try and fail to really connect. I also liked that Conell explored the differences between classes within the building, especially with Martin who always had to worry about keeping the wealthy tenants. But, other parts of Martin became annoying: his obsessions with meditation and birds and his frequent “advice” from a favorite deceased resident. Ruby, too I both liked and didn’t. I sympathized with her sort of “stuck” position, but she also did some really crazy things! Overall, The Party Upstairs was just okay for me.