The Party

That's my first Christopher Pike novel and I'm so happy I've picked this one as an entry point into his corpus. Growing up, English was not my first language, not even the second, so I've missed reading his children and young adult fiction when I was younger.This first Pike book was a delight for me, however, and a far cry from the stereotypical shallow characterization of teens. All the main characters are high schoolers and yet they're all interesting in their respective ways so that the mystery remains unbroken till the very end courtesy of their complexity. My favorite I think is Alice. It's a little obvious since the cliff hanger and the whole mystery attach themselves to her. And yet, it's not just that. There's some sort of ethereal attraction about her. She's a teen and an adult all mixed in one. She's got secrets of her own that even her closet friends don't know, designs that the reader cannot pierce. In short, she is so mystifying that the reading of the second novel becomes a need rather than a luxury. Michael is okay too. He's not an outstanding boy. None of them are but that's exactly what humanizes them and makes them more believable. Mike is in love with a girl out of his reach. His infatuation blinds him to the troubles of his best friend and that is why he feels the need to find out what truly happened to her. He feels guilty but also disillusioned in regard to Jessie.Now Jessica is your stereotypical hot shot from high school. She's pretty, rich, and intelligent too. She likes attention and wants to be desired. She has qualities but they're all lost in the mist of her queen bee struggles.It wouldn't do to mention all the characters and what they do. But these are only a sample of the large catalogue created by Pike in a manner that's so efficient to create a fast thrilling mystery. A very entertaining read. I cannot wait to see what the second book will bring forth.