Publishers Weekly
★ 07/18/2022
Cameron’s riveting latest (after Ophelia’s Muse) explores class and economic divisions in an affluent Philadelphia suburb during the late-2000s housing bubble. High school senior Will O’Connor looks forward to attending Princeton on scholarship alongside his rich friend Hunter Finch, the son of prominent real estate developer Dom, who’s too wrapped up in work to be much of a father. At a year-end party, Will sees his girlfriend Maddie being sexually assaulted in the house and breaks a glass door to save her, inadvertently encouraging others to trash the place. Homeowner Maja Jensen, a New York City transplant, longs for a baby and had hoped building an expensive dream home would repair her fraught relationship with her husband, Ted. After the Jensens learn of the extensive damage, which occurred shortly before they planned to move in, they demand justice but don’t find much sympathy or cooperation from the parents of those involved, and the police initially suspect the Jensens’ subcontractors before turning their focus on Will, whose older brother has a history of trouble. Cameron does a stellar job at demonstrating how easily stereotyping and wealth can influence outcomes, setting a wide lens on the burgeoning housing crisis by showing how the Jensens are over-leveraged while Dom scoops up foreclosed properties. A seamless plot and believable characters make for an accomplished sophomore effort. Readers are in for a treat. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Cameron’s riveting latest explores class and economic divisions in an affluent Philadelphia suburb during the late-2000s housing bubble.… Cameron does a stellar job at demonstrating how easily stereotyping and wealth can influence outcomes, setting a wide lens on the burgeoning housing crisis. A seamless plot and believable characters make for an accomplished sophomore effort. Readers are in for a treat.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Cameron uses the idyllic New Falls setting to explore inequity, access, and loyalty in modern suburbia, giving a voice to the high-schoolers, the homeowners, and the police officers involved in the investigation. Fans of Tom Perrotta and Matthew Norman will appreciate Cameron's keen observational eye, while fans of Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere will welcome the closed-ranks mystery. Cameron's novel acknowledges the privilege we all enjoy in different ways and the strength it takes to do the right thing.” — Booklist (starred review)
“A novel about choices and consequences, compassion, and the limits of forgiveness. It’s also a novel of reparation, and as the 2008 financial collapse looms in the background, there seems to be a particularly poignant hindsight offered: What if, Cameron asks, we could go back and unwork our mistakes, our bad choices, not just as individual humans, but as an entire timeline? … An unflinching look at the dysfunction of a ‘nice town’; a resonant morality tale.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Cameron’s riveting novel explores the far reaching consequences of a high school party gone terribly wrong. The ensuing investigation exposes the fault lines lurking beneath an idyllic suburb. I couldn’t stop turning pages as the police search for truth in a community where everyone has so much to lose. Ultimately it’s a book about understanding what’s really important and the power of forgiveness.” — Tracey Lange, New York Times bestselling author of We Are the Brennans
"The House Party is a darkly delicious page-turner and a gimlet-eyed critique of parenting and privilege in our time. Cameron's intimately portrayed characters inspire our empathy despite their train wrecks and flaws. A thrilling read." — Bruce Holsinger, bestselling author of The Gifted School
“An exploration of class and privilege, The House Party will keep readers on the edge of their seats.” — Popsugar
“Rita Cameron’s The House Party explores how a night of seemingly innocent fun can lay bare the class and moral fault lines of one tight-knit community. What struck me most about Cameron’s confident and absorbing novel was the empathy she bestows on her characters, making it difficult for the reader to cast blame on some while vindicating others. A fresh take on privilege and entitlement, The House Party is exactly the kind of thought-provoking and highly readable novel I love.” — Amy Meyerson, bestselling author of The Bookshop of Yesterdays
“Does a place shape a person, or is a place shaped by its people? That’s the conundrum at the core of Rita Cameron’s smart, attentive novel. The House Party tugs on all the many interwoven threads of American suburbia—class and consequence, privilege and legacy, hope and the pursuit of happiness—without ever sacrificing read-in-one-sitting propulsion. Cameron has crafted an immersive, kaleidoscopic portrait of a community on the brink.” — Emily Layden, author of All Girls
"Rita Cameron's tale of high schoolers who take a Friday night party much too far muses on divisions of class and opportunity, and on the ease with which violence erupts. Ultimately, The House Party is a hopeful read, showing us a community both driven apart and knit back together by the choices individuals make. A timely message indeed." — Laura McBride, author of We Are Called to Rise and 'Round Midnight (in the Midnight Room)
"Rita Cameron’s exploration of privilege in a Philadelphia suburb tackles difficult questions with enormous empathy, and is sure to keep readers riveted.” — Laura Hankin, author of A Special Place for Women
“Layered and engrossing, The House Party deftly explores the effects of a small-town high school party gone terribly wrong. In the aftermath, once-assured futures become uncertain, differences in privilege are revealed, and loyalties are tested. Rita Cameron writes with mastery—this is a superb novel I couldn’t read fast enough!” — Karen Winn, author of Our Little World
Emily Layden
Does a place shape a person, or is a place shaped by its people? That’s the conundrum at the core of Rita Cameron’s smart, attentive novel. The House Party tugs on all the many interwoven threads of American suburbia—class and consequence, privilege and legacy, hope and the pursuit of happiness—without ever sacrificing read-in-one-sitting propulsion. Cameron has crafted an immersive, kaleidoscopic portrait of a community on the brink.
Laura McBride
"Rita Cameron's tale of high schoolers who take a Friday night party much too far muses on divisions of class and opportunity, and on the ease with which violence erupts. Ultimately, The House Party is a hopeful read, showing us a community both driven apart and knit back together by the choices individuals make. A timely message indeed."
Laura Hankin
"Rita Cameron’s exploration of privilege in a Philadelphia suburb tackles difficult questions with enormous empathy, and is sure to keep readers riveted.
Karen Winn
Layered and engrossing, The House Party deftly explores the effects of a small-town high school party gone terribly wrong. In the aftermath, once-assured futures become uncertain, differences in privilege are revealed, and loyalties are tested. Rita Cameron writes with mastery—this is a superb novel I couldn’t read fast enough!
Amy Meyerson
Rita Cameron’s The House Party explores how a night of seemingly innocent fun can lay bare the class and moral fault lines of one tight-knit community. What struck me most about Cameron’s confident and absorbing novel was the empathy she bestows on her characters, making it difficult for the reader to cast blame on some while vindicating others. A fresh take on privilege and entitlement, The House Party is exactly the kind of thought-provoking and highly readable novel I love.
Tracey Lange
Cameron’s riveting novel explores the far reaching consequences of a high school party gone terribly wrong. The ensuing investigation exposes the fault lines lurking beneath an idyllic suburb. I couldn’t stop turning pages as the police search for truth in a community where everyone has so much to lose. Ultimately it’s a book about understanding what’s really important and the power of forgiveness.
Bruce Holsinger
"The House Party is a darkly delicious page-turner and a gimlet-eyed critique of parenting and privilege in our time. Cameron's intimately portrayed characters inspire our empathy despite their train wrecks and flaws. A thrilling read."
Kirkus Reviews
2022-07-13
April 2008: The restless teenagers of picturesque New Falls, Pennsylvania, decide to throw a party at a house that's under construction.
Perhaps expectedly, the party spirals out of control—but to the tune of hundreds of thousands in damages. The bewildered out-of-town owners go through the thankless runaround with their insurance company, while the local police try to provide some answers, or maybe some scapegoats, for the destruction, and the local DA tries to press charges. The town is firmly divided along economic lines, and it quickly becomes clear that the “rich kids” with connected parents will not bear the brunt of the punishment, but a few “local yokels” will. Familiar character types—small-town DA; hardworking local teen made good; rich, entitled screw-up; emotionally wounded teenage girl; woman longing to be a mother; husband with a secret—are granted grace and complexity. Despite some early narrative setup, this is not a legal thriller. It’s a novel about choices and consequences, compassion, and the limits of forgiveness. It’s also a novel of reparation, and as the 2008 financial collapse looms in the background, there seems to be a particularly poignant hindsight offered: What if, Cameron asks, we could go back and unwork our mistakes, our bad choices, not just as individual humans, but as an entire timeline? What if we could be a little more cautious and a little less focused on our own gratification? What wonder could be wrought—or at least, what destruction and tragedy avoided? Of course, in the end, we all must face up to the missteps, as all of these characters do, and learn to live in a world where happiness is a little more fragile, love a little more tempered by disappointment.
An unflinching look at the dysfunction of a “nice town”; a resonant morality tale.
