The Birthday Party

How it reads

The Birthday Party is thriller (domestic thriller, specifically), and its dominant mood is tense. The suspense is the kind you feel in your shoulders. It moves fast: plot-driven and hard to put down, the kind of book that carries you along even when you're tired.

It's set in a suburban setting, in the present day, told in the third person, staying close to one character. Its central concerns are family, secrets and identity. In weight it's light and escapist — easy to fall into.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending resolves happily. At 271 pages it's a quick read. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.