It's fair to say that After The Party is totally different to it's prequel Ralph's Party. It has a very different feel to it - as I mentioned, Lisa's writing has evolved - and whereas Ralph's Party featured six main characters (Ralph, Smith, Siobhan, Karl, Jem and Cheri), After The Party was mainly about Jem and Ralph. The book begins with a prologue, set in the present year, before being split into multiple parts set mainly in the year that causes Jem and Ralph to think about taking a break from each other until we ourselves come up to the breaking point in Jem and Ralph's relationship. It wasn't how I expected it to be but I was happily pleased with how it was all laid out.
After The Party isn't exactly the happiest read you'll ever encounter because for the majority of the book we see Jem and Ralph's relationship disintegrate and, believe me, it isn't particularly pretty. There's no definitive starting point that marks the potential beginning of the end for Jem and Ralph, it just seems to be the way life has gone for them. They have two children - the ever lovely Scarlett and Blake - and the change in dynamics that came with having children weren't what Jem or Ralph expected. Up until Jem and Ralph had kids, they were solely focused on each other (as you'd expect) and after having kids, their focuses changed and Ralph ended up feeling left out whereas Jem felt as if she was losing her real self - the carefree and younger version of herself.
After The Party is an incredibly emotional read because it's clear that Ralph and Jem belong together no matter what so to see their relationship self-destruct is horrible to read. I wanted to shake them both and tell them to stop being so silly. I rarely get so involved with characters but with Jem and Ralph I just couldn't get enough. It helps that Lisa Jewell gives us both Ralph and Jem's point of view, making for a very fair view of their relationship. Lisa Jewell really is a fantastic writer because, to be blunt, After The Party isn't your usual boy-meets-girl-they-fall-in-love affair, After The Party is about what it's like after being together for a huge amount of time and all the troubles a modern couple face these days. It was a very turbulent year in the life of Jem and Ralph and I really didn't know how it would end.
I really loved reading After The Party. At 450 pages, it's a fantastic book to sink your teeth into and it never gets dull, each page was not exactly a pleasure to read but it sure was addicting. My only complaint if the lack of Siobhan. I loved her in Ralph's Party and she was only mentioned once, fleetingly and I thought that was rather disappointing but I could understand why, Ralph and Jem were the focus here, not the other (former) residents of 31 Almanac Road. After The Party really was a great read and I hugely recommend it. It's not even really necessary to read Ralph's Party beforehand as everything is explained very well. Hugely recommended.
