After the Party

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Use italics (lyric) and bold (lyric) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part The tide was out and little boats lolled on their sides in their sandy mud, like the tongues of overheated dogs.’ Truthfully, most of the characters were extremely unlikeable. Marie was rude, Lizzie was naive and obsessive, Lizzie’s mom was obsessive, and Dean was a liar. What a bunch! However, it was still so entertaining! The writing was great. I could truly picture the settings, like a movie was playing as I read.

The author is a skilful writer; I especially liked the imaginative descriptions and quirky similes. A few of my favourites:There's a little bit of 'death to the jews' graffiti, the true crime there being the graffiti itself not the message (graffiti is frightfully jejune don't you know). We gloss briefly over the little spot of trouble in the East End (the battle of Cable Street?), not the fault of the BU, obviously. But the thing is, there's no context given in the book. If you didn't already know about Oswald Mosley and his despicable party before you read this book, you could reasonably feel sympathy for the plight of the imprisoned party members. In this era where the far right is once again on the rise I find this unforgivable. Another fascinating part of this book was the main character Phyllis. Connolly somehow managed to create a seemingly naive and sympathetic character, who was a member of the British Union of Fascists. They were affected by ‘The Leader’, Oswald Mosley’s charisma, and were keen to remain in peace after the painful experiences of First World War. So, the writer adds layers and complexity to leave it to your own devices to decide what to make of this character. Is she naive or not, is the likeable or not? To me, this was very impactful writing. It was also interesting to read about that aspect of politics during the war time Britain. Difficult to say more without revealing too much. I can say that I became totally immersed in After The Party. It’s different and beautifully written, almost hypnotic. A piece of social and political history that benefits from the revelations in this remarkable book. The narration was mostly good, but Dean's voice was robotic and made me almost laugh every time he spoke (then again it kinda matched his personality)! Jamie Demetriou as Walt Butler (guest season 2), [11] a partygoer whom no one seems to remember from high school

I can’t say I liked any of the characters that much if I’m honest – but they were highly intriguing and the themes explored were extremely thought provoking. The writing is beautiful and descriptively evocative as we follow Phyllis, reconnecting with her sisters, getting intricately involved with a community and, ultimately, failing on a very human level and ending up incarcerated. So strangely clouded were these refinements by the prison manners and gloom, so spectral did they become in the inappropriate squalor and misery through which they were seen, that Charles Darnay seemed to stand in a company of the dead. … The ghost of beauty, … the ghost of pride, the ghost of frivolity, the ghost of wit … eyes that were changed by the death they had died in coming there.’ Phyllis is such a nice woman, everyone says so. And it’s true, in the sense that she likes to get along with people and not make waves. She feels strongly that Britain should avoid another war and that a leader is needed to ensure that Britain remains strong and unentangled with foreigners and socialists. Phyllis’s sister Nina and her husband are already deeply involved with the BUF, running a coastal summer camp for children and adults to which the Leader himself, Oswald Mosley, is occasionally a visitor. Phyllis is gradually drawn into BUF work and makes friends among the middle class types in the area who share its values. We wanted to make something where all the characters have rich stories and the drama itself has a complex impact on all their lives.”

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Patricia lives in a grand country house. She always knew what she wanted. A dashing man, “who could produce for her a world of dances and banter and fun; of long curving banisters (…) and lovely clothes; (…) and enclosed world…” Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Lizzie has just gotten a promotion as a project manager at small company, and she's absolutely in love with her co-worker, Dean, for the past three years. She starts to feel that maybe he has feelings for her too until at a Christmas party, he admits he has feelings for her colleague, Rebecca. A heartbroken Lizzie is more determined to take a job offer in London when police show up and say Rebecca has disappeared. What could have possibly happened and does it have anything to do with the Christmas party days earlier? Hollywood would present these women wearing white and smiling a lot and laughing a lot to make them acceptable to an audience,” says Malcolm.