The
infamous Shakespeare quote “Parting is such sweet
sorrow” came to mind as I closed the cover of THE DIVORCE
PARTY. Instead of a lighthearted banter about divorce parties
ala the chic set, I found a riveting story about love that
causes us to reflect on our own relationships as we read about the
events of Gwyn and Thomas Huntington’s early love and 35-year
marriage. As we see the outward signs of Gwyn and Thomas’s
relationship --- a photograph on the wall of a smiling, happy
couple who have the look of love --- we realize it could
be any one of us. Now Gwyn and Thomas are getting ready for a
divorce party to celebrate their parting with a toast from a bottle
of 1945 Château Mouton-Rothschild.

Gwyn sets an elegant and surprisingly vindictive stage for her own
divorce party. Hiring your soon-to-be-ex-husband’s lover to
cater this event at the family estate, Huntington Hall, is a gusty
move, and there is an impulse to cheer for Gwyn. Gwyn has read that
a “graceful” divorce party is in vogue and “a
parting ritual” that can help all family members
“replace animosity with harmony.” Gwyn’s journey
through the 35 years of her marriage, the memories, the divorce-eve
sex with Thomas, the conversations with her children and with
herself dominate this vital look at love. With statistics hovering
around at 50% of marriages ending in divorce, we wonder, Should
Gwyn have reflected on her marriage sooner? Would it have made a
difference?

Everywhere we turn, mass media, authors and screenplay writers are
trying to dissect relationships and portray them with accuracy and
tell love stories. I write this review on the day after having seen
the new Sex and the City movie. Relationships are at the
heart of the storyline. Carrie asks Mr. Big, “Am I the
one?” Thomas lies repeatedly to Gwyn in THE DIVORCE
PARTY. Clearly, choices, secrets, affairs, red flags and fears
define our relationships. Laura Dave writes, “Can you ever
know anyone?” Can anything save you from divorce --- beauty,
money, sacrifice? I wondered how many readers have asked themselves
these thought-provoking questions.

When do you know a marriage is over? Up to the last moment, before
the parting toast, Thomas treats Gwyn with civility, going through
the motions of his marriage as if it were just another day. In
Thomas’s old patterns, the reader sees some of the reasons
why they are about to host a divorce party. Gwyn knows Thomas
better than he knows himself and forces him to acknowledge his
secret lover, Eve, in front of her at the gathering. His lack of
reaction to the meeting between Gwyn and his new lady reaffirms his
weak character. We are left thinking that she’s better off
without him, but our heart breaks when Gwyn realizes in that moment
that Eve is “first” for Thomas and the last bit of hope
drops out of her. Gwyn reveals, “…even if she knew it
was all going to end here, Gwyn would have chosen him
anyway.” Dave gets to the heart of true love in a way that
makes the reader believe in love in the face of divorce.

Attending the divorce party are Gwyn and Thomas’s two grown
children --- 33-year-old Nate and 25-year-old Georgia, who are
involved in new and already complicated relationships of their own.
Nate has a new love and is bringing home his fiancée,
Maggie, for the first time. When Maggie finds out about
Nate’s secrets, she wonders if she will end the day with or
without him. Where do they go from here? “There’s no
starting over, Nate,” she says. “So, we’ll figure
out a way,” he says, “To start here.” Georgia and
Denis have a young love, one that is new enough to try
hard to believe and not disappoint. In vivid contrast,
Dave poignantly writes Gwyn’s thoughts about her impending
divorce: “She isn’t angry. She isn’t hopeful. She
is simply done. Gwyn is done trying to pick up what cannot be
saved.” Dave paints all the faces of love with unnerving
insight.

Love is an ever-changing story, one whose ending is unfinished. Is
divorce the new happily ever after? Each writes his or her own love
story for better or for worse. Let’s not forget the power of
romance. “Any love story can end well.”