Robyn Harding described the Saunders as a perfect family, trying to keep up appearances and enjoy their wealthy lifestyle… until the party.  This novel describes a parents nightmare, a sweet 16 party gone bad.  Drinking, drugs and boys complicated a sleepover held to celebrate a birthday.  Jeff and Kim Saunders awake to their crying daughter, Hannah, who has blood on her hands and try to figure out what led to the disaster of a party.

The chapters are told by different characters as the events leading up to the injury are discovered.  Each individual is dealing with their own problems which are thrust into the spotlight as they turn on each other.

This book was a palate cleanser, it was easy to read, eventful and the quick pace was appreciated in the midst of my Scotiabank Giller Prize reading.  I had begun listening to the story in the car until meeting the author on Friday night (a subsequent blog post about the author event is pending) and coming away with my signed copy.  If you are looking for a suspenseful story that parents can relate to, this is a great book to read and reflect on the facades that families create to hide the true challenges within marriages and households!