The After Party, A Novel by Anton Disclafani.

  The After Party, A Novel by Anton Disclafani. Riverhead Books
(Penguin Random House), 2016. Adult fiction.


By far, this fictional tale has been my favorite guilty pleasure this summer! Set in 1950's Houston, it details life of several high society women and the secrets they keep. The liquor flows, the diamonds sparkle, and in the midst is beautiful and rich Joan Fortier. Her faithful sidekick, Cece Buchanan, thinks she know Joan well. Alternating between their time at Lamar High and just afterward to 1957 when Cece is married and has a small son, the tale winds through the River Oaks' debutantes with chauffeurs and maids to do their bidding.


The author has obviously done her homework. From the description of the diving boards at the now gone Shamrock Hotel to the delicacies served in the homes, the details ring true. It's interesting that the main characters share a first name with Joan Robinson Hill, the real Houston socialite whose life and death were the subjects of Tommy Thompson's Blood and Money, a Houston classic. The writing is smooth and, although clues are dropped along the way, even readers who suspect the ending will be happy with the way things are neatly tied up by the end.