Book Review: The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

It wasn't actually that good

This was my second time finishing a book by Lucy Foley. Two of her other books, The Hunting Party and the Paris Apartment, I couldn't really get into and bailed on after about a third of the way through. The Midnight Feast was my second favorite, after The Guest List.

Foley writes from multiple character perspectives to slowly unfold a mystery (usually a murder) that we know happens by the beginning of the book. Usually this teaser involves jumping back and forth from the investigation of the murder and then to the proceeding days or hours before the killing happened. This way, the reader can get to know the characters and their secrets all the while speculating on who did it. I think this is an effective form of storytelling and always has me flipping to the next page (or in this case, listening to the next chapter, as I had it on audiobook). So what about The Midnight Feast made me stick with it?

My favorite aspect of the characters in this novel were the different ages they had. It's entertaining to me to jump from one perspective that has certain life experiences and values, then the next chapter read about someone at a completely different stage of life. Eddie was in his early twenties, so the book had a hint of that young-adult-drama that I love. A little budding romance, a little conflict with parents, that kind of thing that comes from younger characters. The protagonist of the novel, Bella, was older than Eddie and a new mom. She was seeking revenge but in the tame and reasonable way that just means confronting someone about something they did in the past. I liked Bella because she she told the story through her present day voice and also through her Summer Journal, unfolding her connection to Francesca through events as they happened to her as a child. The journal added those young adult attitudes and conflicts I love while also dealing with dark themes like sexual violence, addiction, and emotional abuse. There was no lack of substance in this novel, and Foley was able to add drama in a way that didn't seem forced or unrealistic. Francesca was perfectly manipulative and Bella was vulnerable yet mature. It would have been nice to have a non heterosexual couple in the story but I’ll live. The many ways the past and present were intertwined in this novel resulted in many satisfying “ah ha” moments that I loved. Good amount of twists and unexpected turns.

Another thing I liked about the changing of perspectives was that it wasn't done in any pattern or order. The character's alternated at unexpected intervals, so the reader never knew what would happen next. By the mid way point of the novel I realized I didn't like Francesca's sections as much as the others, and would zone out a little more while I waited for the Summer Journal or Eddie's point of view to return. I don't think it was a flaw in Francesca's character so to speak, just that she wasn't really causing anything in the plot to happen, we were just waiting for the other characters to do something that would then cause Francesca to react. And react she certainly did.

You know when an author wants you to pick up on the importance of something when they keep on mentioning it. I think Foley went overboard with "the birds" aspect of the story. The birds and their cultish connotations and implications turned up in the past and present timelines of the novel, and I got pretty bored with it by the end. It didn't seem as important to me as I think Foley wanted it to be. I didn't really care about the mystery cult / small town legends / superstitions, and I think the character's thoughts and apprehensions about it seemed extreme and unrelated to the plot in a lot of ways. Like there didn't need to be a dead bird on the door of Francesca's place, and Eddie didn't need to say so many times how ashamed he was he thought his dad was one of the birds only to realize it was his mom. The ominous feathers and their reoccurrence in the plot as a sign was inconsequential. I think Foley could do better. I can't think of anything else specific about this but it felt redundant and boring to me. Either make the cult the whole point of the book or make the cult small enough that we don't get tired of it.

You should read this book if you like White Lotus on HBO Max, Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty, Riverdale on Netflix, or any of Lucy Foley's other books. Audiobook performance was pretty good as well. Not bad for a fall read.