The Dinner Party is among the most gripping pieces of fiction I have ever read. It is impossible to say much about it because almost anything I say would be a spoiler. In very broad strokes, the setting is a dinner party that Franca’s fiancé, Andrew, throws for some of his colleagues after a project that he and his friend, Evan, has made each of them extraordinarily wealthy.

The story is told in at least four “episodes “, for lack of a better word, from Franca’s first person narration point of view: the death of her father when she was twelve and her memories of distance from her mother (another turn in the road that appears in all of Franca’s telling of her tale); during her friendship with another character, Harry and the end of that relationship; in the present moment; and in the dinner party, during which something terrible happens, that immediately precedes the present moment. The story is definitely not told linearly. Yes, that sounds confusing, but what holds it all together is that most of the story is told in the form of a letter written by Franca to Harry, one she never mails, during therapy.

There are moments in the story in which Franca seems disconnected from reality. She has delusional thoughts of killing, hints of self harm, grotesque imagery of things that happen only in her head, and the clear understanding by her that something she can’t remember happened at the dinner party. And, the reader gets the idea that Franca is very unstable, in part stemming from the trauma of losing her father at an impressionable age.

This is, at its heart, a fictional memoir that grips the reader and gives them insight into how what we think we remember is not what others remember, what we remember might not have happened in the way we remember, and how our memories of life events are inevitably colored by what might or might not have happened in the way we remember. There’s an implicit message here - it’s critical that we talk to our families and friends, especially if we are in pain, to see the fullness’s of our own selves.

I can honestly say that I am an astute and careful reader. There were hints about Franca’s life strategically sprinkled throughout the story but it wasn’t until I was nearly at the end that I realized there was indeed a clear pathway that I had missed. These hints are so masterful that this reader didn’t realize that there had been almost hidden trail markers, such as the rock cairns one finds along a remote hiking trail, as the story unfolds.

I read a lot and I read both very good, pretty good, and downright bad fiction. The Dinner Party will forever stand out in my mind in the group of absolutely brilliant novels of my lifetime.

I look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the privilege of reading this book as an advance reader’s copy.

2 stars

Franca is preparing for a dinner party hosted by her fiancé, Andrew. They met while both were at school in the Netherlands; Franca dropped out to return to the U.K. With Andrew after a quick romance following the breakdown of Franca’s friendship and subsequent departure of her only friend, Harry, from the program. The novel looks back and forward from the party (through Franca’s visits with a therapist,) the guests and at Franca’s life.

It is hard to talk about this book without spoilers so I’ll just say that there are a couple of bait and switches/twists here. Plus of the major things that happen, one I didn’t see AT ALL, and by that I mean I totally missed it in the text. Did I skim through it because I was reading too quickly? Am I just a bad person? I don’t know, but when it what raised, I honestly had no idea what she was talking about. I kind of felt like a bad person.

Anyway, I found the book tedious. I hated every character except the cat.

The Dinner Party is a quietly gripping and intimate drama that masterfully unfolds over the course of one tense evening, capturing the simmering tensions of love, autonomy, and grief beneath the surface of a seemingly elegant gathering. Anchored by Franca’s struggle to reconcile her past and present amid the pressure of planning a dinner party during a stifling heatwave, the film delicately explores female rage and the subtle concessions women make in relationships—until everything finally boils over in a powerful, irrevocable climax. With precise storytelling and a compelling, claustrophobic atmosphere, it’s a thoughtful and provocative look at the moments when control slips away and true selfhood demands to be heard. Overall, a compelling watch that earns a solid 3.5 stars for its nuanced character work and emotional depth.

At first glance, The Dinner Party seems like a quiet story—a young woman in a new country planning a dinner party to support her partner’s professional life. But beneath that deceptively simple setup lies a layered, compelling exploration of power, identity, and the subtle unraveling of a woman trying to find her footing in someone else’s world.

Franca is a profoundly relatable protagonist—intelligent, creative, and quietly struggling to reconcile her old life in the Netherlands with the polite but stifling world of South Kensington. Her relationship with Andrew is painted with careful nuance: he’s not a villain, but the kind of man whose “generosity” comes with expectations and unspoken rules. When Franca agrees to host a dinner party for his colleagues, it symbolizes everything she’s been asked to become—charming, domestic, supportive, invisible.

Set during a sweltering heatwave, the novel uses sensory details—sticky air, wilting food, rising tension—to mirror Franca’s inner state. The broken fridge, the increasing reliance on alcohol, and the arrival of an unexpected guest all push the carefully curated evening—and Franca herself—to a boiling point. It’s a masterclass in slow-burn tension.

The writing is elegant and restrained but emotionally resonant. Through sharp observations and quiet moments of rebellion, the story explores themes of autonomy, cultural dissonance, and the invisible labor women are often expected to perform without complaint.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good dinner party story, especially the kind where tension simmers just beneath the surface and you know something will go terribly wrong… but not what.

In The Dinner Party, we follow Franca, a young woman who made a big life decision to leave college and her circle of friends to move in with Andrew, a man she barely knows but who offers a certain kind of stability and sophistication. In their polished, curated home, owned by his wealthy parents, Franca is meant to write while Andrew works. Instead, of writing, she drifts in silence and anxiety.

When Andrew insists she host a dinner for his colleagues, Franca sees it as a chance to prove herself. She meticulously plans the menu, prepares the apartment, and strives to create the perfect evening. But things begin to unravel. She oversleeps, and key ingredients spoil in the heat.

As guests arrive, the dynamic tightens. When one colleague brings along an unexpected guest, an old friend from Franca’s former life, the past and present collide.

Viola van de Sandt masterfully layers unease into each course, capturing the slow build of discomfort. The novel explores not just suspense, but identity, compromise, and rage. A perfect read for fans of literary suspense and character rather than big reveals. The Dinner Party simmers,..... until it boils over.

#LittleBrownAndCompany #TheDinnerParty #ViolaVanDeSandt