After the Party: 4 Stars

Lisa Jewell's novel "After the Party" is a sequel to "Ralph's Party." Below I'll give a brief summary as well as my overall thoughts on the novel.

Summary

In this novel, we follow some of the same characters and are introduced to some new ones along the way. The main two stories follow Ralph, the once struggling artist, and Jem, the free-spirit romantic. This takes place about 10 years after "Ralph's Party."

Jem and Ralph have moved in together and now have two children. Throughout the novel, both Jem and Ralph navigate their new "adult" lives. Ralph tries to find his passion and inspiration again. As with the first novel, Ralph is in a rut. He looks at his life and is not sure how he got here and wants a bit of a break from his life.

After a trip to California to visit his old roommate, Smith, Ralph finds inspiration in the eyes of Smith's girlfriend. At the end of the trip, Ralph is ready to go home, ready to take on the role of loving Father and supporting husband. However, while he was away, Jem has struggles of her own. She finds herself enjoying the attention of another man and pushing boundaries she knows she shouldn't.

When Ralph returns home he leans into family life while Jem pulls away. Both Jem and Ralph go through a lot of self-discovery, heartbreak, and reconciliation.

My thoughts

Once again, Lisa Jewell has written another great novel. Jewell's detail of the inner struggles the characters face throughout the novel makes you feel like you're living through their troubles with them.

I found myself getting angry with the characters for not seeing what they had right in front of them, for making stupid decisions, for not clearly communicating, and thus causing strife. I couldn't understand why they were making these decisions and at the same time, I completely understood. It's life. I've been there, and to a certain extent, experienced what the characters are going through.

One thing I liked is the forgiveness and understanding that takes place between Ralph and Jem. These two characters know each other so deeply that even though one of them is hurting the other through their actions, they can't fault them for it. It's beautiful yet heartbreaking.

Jewell does a great job describing the struggles and complexities of a relationship. We've all had certain expectations of how our lives will turn out, Ralph and Jem are not different. Jewell takes us through Ralph and Jem's inner dialogue as they navigate their next steps. There were certain times throughout the novel where I said out loud "No! Don't do that! That's stupid." Then I realize, if someone were to read a novel about my life and hear my inner dialogue, they would most likely say the same thing. That's what makes these novels so relatable, so real.

As you're reading this novel you may, like me find yourself getting frustrated with the characters. However, if you take a step back, you may realize that some of that frustration is aimed at yourself. You may find at one time or another, you were a Ralph who lacked passion and purpose and wondered how you ended up where you are. Or, maybe you were/are a Jem. Wistful for your old life, past experiences, and freedom.

At the end of the novel, there was a happy ending but I found myself still a little sad. Both Jem and Ralph acted in ways that hurt the other one in order to get to reconciliation. I think what makes me sad is a lot of this came from a lack of communication. If they'd had these conversations earlier, could they have avoided the heartbreak and pain? Maybe some, maybe not at all.

If you read this book be prepared for the heaviness and complexities of life. While it's fiction, it's real and while I enjoyed the book and would recommend it, It left me feeling a little sad. But being sad doesn't have to be bad, I'll let you draw your own conclusions.