The Last Party

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, child death, child sexual abuse, child abuse, emotional abuse, animal death, and addiction.

“The parking lot was a crowded mess of bumper-stickered, cheap vehicles with bald tires and dented fenders. In the midst of them, my Range Rover gleamed, a visual reminder that we were in the wrong place.”

This quote from the novel’s first page establishes the Wultzes’ wealth, a key element of the novel. It also hints at Perla’s shallow and judgmental character, as she paints an unflattering image of the other diners.

“Smiling at the room, I raised my hand in acknowledgement of their recognition. Everyone was beaming—everyone except for my husband, who glared at me, his face dark with anger.”

With this sentence, Torre briefly sets up a red herring, positioning Grant as a villain and Perla as a potential victim. This perception is quickly reversed in the following chapters, highlighting one of the novel’s key themes: The Deceptive Nature of Appearances.

“Saving a life had been thrilling. Too bad it couldn’t compare with the inverse.”

This line flips the dynamic hinted at in Chapter 1. Subverting the more common trope of male perpetrator and female victim, Torre establishes that Perla is the novel’s villain and that Grant faces danger at her hands.