Scan barcode
A review by jennrid
The After Party by Anton DiSclafani
4.0
This review originally ran on Everyday eBook
New Fiction from Yonahlossee Author Anton DiSclafani
Money. Cocktails. Champagne. Paparazzi. Beautiful Clothes. Big homes. Life among the rich in 1950s Houston, Texas, seems glamorous and worthy of envy. This is the setting of [a:Anton DiSclafani|5760651|Anton DiSclafani|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1361477002p2/5760651.jpg]'s new novel, The After Party. Even the title invokes visions of privilege and exclusion, for who is usually invited to after parties but an elite few? What DiSclafani, author of [b:The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls|18693867|The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls|Anton DiSclafani|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396843613s/18693867.jpg|21995426], shows us, though, is that what is perceived is usually not at all what is real.
Friends since infancy, Joan and Cece (whose real name is also Joan) are nearly inseparable. In high school, after Cece's mother passed, she moved in with Joan's family. The two plan to live together after high school, living the high life that only children of the rich oil men can imagine. Joan disappears just a couple of months before graduation, though; a blonde bombshell, she runs off to Hollywood to break in to showbiz. She returns a year later, having failed, and life seemingly returns to normal. However, Joan does not quite fall in line with the expectations of the day: She drinks hard, sleeps around, and never attempts to get married and have children.
The After Party is told from Cece's point of view with two main timelines: the present day (1957), when she is married with a three-year-old son, living a few minutes from Joan and attempting to hold onto her friendship and her marriage; and the past, which tells the story of Cece and Joan through the present. I will be honest, both women got on my nerves throughout the book for different reasons. Joan's self-destructive ways and apparent disregard for the people who cared about her seemed self-indulgent. Cece's constant attempts to save Joan and be her friend seemed almost obsessive.
And yet! DiSclafani's writing and impeccable observations of female friendship, marriage, and parenting make The After Party a must-read. I found myself constantly using my e-reader's highlighting function. And despite the frustration that I occasionally had with the main characters, the underlying reality of the self-consciousness and anxiety of friendship and the feeling of inevitability and lack of control over one's life is palpable. In short, this is some of the best writing I've read.
New Fiction from Yonahlossee Author Anton DiSclafani
Money. Cocktails. Champagne. Paparazzi. Beautiful Clothes. Big homes. Life among the rich in 1950s Houston, Texas, seems glamorous and worthy of envy. This is the setting of [a:Anton DiSclafani|5760651|Anton DiSclafani|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1361477002p2/5760651.jpg]'s new novel, The After Party. Even the title invokes visions of privilege and exclusion, for who is usually invited to after parties but an elite few? What DiSclafani, author of [b:The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls|18693867|The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls|Anton DiSclafani|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396843613s/18693867.jpg|21995426], shows us, though, is that what is perceived is usually not at all what is real.
Friends since infancy, Joan and Cece (whose real name is also Joan) are nearly inseparable. In high school, after Cece's mother passed, she moved in with Joan's family. The two plan to live together after high school, living the high life that only children of the rich oil men can imagine. Joan disappears just a couple of months before graduation, though; a blonde bombshell, she runs off to Hollywood to break in to showbiz. She returns a year later, having failed, and life seemingly returns to normal. However, Joan does not quite fall in line with the expectations of the day: She drinks hard, sleeps around, and never attempts to get married and have children.
The After Party is told from Cece's point of view with two main timelines: the present day (1957), when she is married with a three-year-old son, living a few minutes from Joan and attempting to hold onto her friendship and her marriage; and the past, which tells the story of Cece and Joan through the present. I will be honest, both women got on my nerves throughout the book for different reasons. Joan's self-destructive ways and apparent disregard for the people who cared about her seemed self-indulgent. Cece's constant attempts to save Joan and be her friend seemed almost obsessive.
And yet! DiSclafani's writing and impeccable observations of female friendship, marriage, and parenting make The After Party a must-read. I found myself constantly using my e-reader's highlighting function. And despite the frustration that I occasionally had with the main characters, the underlying reality of the self-consciousness and anxiety of friendship and the feeling of inevitability and lack of control over one's life is palpable. In short, this is some of the best writing I've read.