Dinner Party

By: Sarah Gilmartin

Narrated by: Aoife McMahon

A remarkable Irish family saga about the messiness of modern family life—a major debut from a blazing new talent that's already an international sensation

"Sarah Gilmartin gives us terrific, complex characters and strong themes, in prose that is charged with insight."—Anne Enright

A riveting, beautifully written, and poignant coming-of-age story about the heartrending complications of sibling relationships and the trauma of family secrets, perfect for fans of Kate Atkinson, Maggie O'Farrell, and Anne Enright.

Kate has taught herself to be careful, to be meticulous.

To mark the anniversary of a death in the family, she plans a dinner party—from the fancy table settings to the perfect Baked Alaska waiting in the freezer. Yet by the end of the night, old tensions have flared, the guests have fled, and Kate is spinning out of control.

But all we have is ourselves, her father once said, all we have is family.

Set between the 1990s and the present day, from a farmhouse in Carlow to Trinity College, Dublin, Dinner Party is a dark, sharply observed debut told with sharp, elegant humor that thrillingly unravels into family secrets and tragedy.

©2021 Sarah Gilmartin (P)2024 Tantor

Imperfect Family

While this book started out a bit slow, I'm glad I stuck with it. The characters were well-developed, the writing good, and the story moved along at a decent pace. Set in Ireland, it's about a complicated family but centers primarily on one of the sisters, Kate. The author adeptly addresses the impacts of an abusive mother (who appears to be bipolar) on the entire family.

I really enjoyed Ms. Gilmartin's latest book, "Service," and this one did not disappoint. I look forward to reading more of her work!

I couldn’t take One. More. Hour. Kept waiting for something to shift

One of the most depressing books I’ve ever listened to. Deaths, endless mourning, eating disorder, alcoholism, narcissistic mother….it’s torture.