I always enjoy Elizabeth Day’s books, both fiction and non fiction, and when I saw she’d written a sequel to The Party, I was delighted to be granted an advance review copy from Net Galley. Here’s the blurb:
“In this compulsive story of betrayal, old bonds and buried scandals, one British establishment family comes face to face with the consequences of privilege and the true cost of power.
Martin and Ben were friends for decades ― best friends, Martin would have said ― before the terrible events at Ben’s 40th birthday party tore them apart. So when Martin receives a surprise invitation back into the inner sanctum of the dazzling Fitzmaurice family after seven years of silence, he can’t resist the chance to get his revenge.
Ben has risen through the ranks of power, and is now touted as the next Prime Minister. But Martin can’t help but notice certain flies in the ointment… Ben’s wife, Serena, for instance, whose privileged existence is beginning to feel like a gilded cage. Or their daughter, Cosima, an environmental activist fighting against everything her parents once stood for. Or the disgraced MP Richard Take, determined to make his big comeback. And then there’s Fliss, the Fitzmaurice black sheep, whose untimely death sparks more suspicion than closure. Through their intertwined stories, we see a family – and a nation – unravelling under the weight of its secrets.
With everyone watching, the stage is set for a reckoning. It’s time for Martin and Ben to confront what love truly means when everything―family, power, and loyalty―is on the line.”
Having said in the opening sentence that I was excited this was a sequel to The Party, I’d then forgotten about this before starting it – and so I hadn’t read back the synopsis of the initial book in the series – and I actually think this would stand alone as a book – as the relevant elements of the back story are explained in summary as and when required – but equally it was interesting to revisit old ‘friends’.
The book is told from multiple points of view – and I quite like that, as it keeps momentum – and you see different ‘takes’ on the same situation.
There were lots of unlikeable characters in the book – and seeing how their unpleasantness interacted and unfolded was interesting! I fundamentally liked both Martin and Cosima – although they could have done with a good talking to sometimes.
Whilst the main threads of family, power and loyalty are fairly timeless – this did feel like a book of the moment with regards to politics, sexual politics and environmental issues all thrown in.
I always feel that a lot of care and attention has been made in both the writing – and editing – of Elizabeth’s books – it’s incredibly unusual to find a typo / grammar / continuity error – and I was not disappointed.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed ‘One Of Us’ and would definitely recommend you pre order before it’s release in late September 2025.
A big thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for my ARC.
This Price is Usually Right 