The Hunting Party

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-20

Chapters 21-40

Chapters 41-61

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

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Themes

The Danger of Surface Perceptions

In The Hunting Party, Foley uses an important trope of the mystery genre: People aren’t always what they appear to be. Foley presents the theme “beware of surface perceptions” as a warning of how people project their perceptions onto others.

The first surface perception that is deceiving is the character of Doug. Doug is handsome but aloof, which frustrates Miranda, who wants to flirt with him. Although Doug’s job at the lodge requires him to work with people, he wants to be secluded and isolated. This makes him seem odd, but this perception isn’t the whole truth. Doug wants to be isolated because he wrestles with past trauma. When a murder occurs on Loch Corrin, Doug is immediately a prime suspect due to his history of violence. If someone wanted an easy suspect for murder, it would be Doug. However, this suspicion focuses on Doug’s past actions, not his many layers. Doug is kind, loving, and full of guilt and remorse for his past violence. Doug is not by nature a killer or inherently violent. In seeing his surface perception as large, standoffish, and capable of violence, the perceiver misses Doug’s need for compassion, empathy, and support.

Another character who is a victim of superficial surface perceptions is Miranda. Miranda is beautiful, glamorous, and rich even though she doesn’t work. This makes her an ideal target for judgments based on surface perception. Although Miranda acts like a typical mean girl, her bully behavior stems from her own problems. Miranda is mean when she feels that she needs to reassert her dominance. Without her position as alpha female, she has literally nothing. Therefore, Miranda isn’t necessarily sympathetic. However, others tend to ignore her multiple layers and her core loneliness because it’s easier to see Miranda as pretty and mean rather than as hurting on the inside.

Seeing only surface perceptions means that characters miss the opportunity to develop deep and meaningful relationships. However, it also signifies danger. On the surface, Emma is likeable, albeit boring; she’s organized, cheerful, and reliable. Nevertheless, this surface hides Emma’s dark truth. Emma is a stalker and a murderer, a sociopath who has been carefully obsessed with Miranda for more than a decade. In accepting Emma for her surface perception, people miss discovering more about her past or seeing any of the signs that she isn’t who she presents herself to be. This leads to Miranda’s murder and Katie and Heather’s near murders. Thus, surface perceptions can be dangerous.

Respect as an Important Aspect of Friendship

Foley emphasizes the importance of friendships being based on respect, not just years of loyalty. The novel’s central conflict is Miranda’s circle of friends from her school days. For years, they have spent time together, acting out the roles of good friends. In reality, they’re bound together because of Miranda, even though they don’t necessarily like her.

Nick and Miranda have a fraught past. When they were in university, Nick wanted to come out to his parents, but Miranda told them first. The hurt of this betrayal still informs Nick’s relationship with Miranda. No matter how much he tells Katie that he’s long since moved on from that incident, the truth is that it permanently ruptured their friendship. Foley implies that Nick continues to pretend to be friends with Miranda out of habit. Their relationship isn’t based on respect; the history that connects them continues to bother Nick.

Miranda and Katie face a similar conflict. They’ve been in one another’s lives for such a long time that for either of them to imagine not being friends seems impossible. However, the truth is that they’re not really friends. Their friendship is based on Katie’s early pre-adolescent memories of Miranda’s confidence and Miranda’s pre-adolescent memories of Katie’s inferiority. These pre-teen roles stayed with them well into adulthood, which means that Katie and Miranda never learned how to respect each other. Instead, Miranda expects that Katie will always be there for her. However, Katie dislikes Miranda so much that she starts an affair with Julien to assert dominance over Miranda. Their relationship is unequal; therefore, it isn’t a true friendship.

The toxicity of Miranda’s relationships affects everyone. However, Miranda isn’t the only one at fault. She acts in her own self-interest, but other people enable her false friendships. They allow her to be the center of their friend group, thereby sacrificing their own independence.

Forgiving the Past to Live in the Future

The characters in The Hunting Party wrestle with the past. For many, the reason for going into the wilderness of Loch Corrin is to escape the past by secluding themselves. However, Foley articulates that people can’t repress their history; instead, the novel’s characters must forgive the past to live a fulfilling future.

Heather took the job managing Loch Corrin to run away from her grief. After her husband died in a tragic fire accident, she started having thoughts of suicide. Rather than leaning on her family and friends for support, Heather found the company of others oppressive. She wanted to lean into her grief and avoid solving her sadness. However, in the Scottish Highlands, far away from others, her thoughts of suicide worsened and she became an alcoholic. After Heather stands between Katie and Emma to shield Katie from Emma’s bullet, her recovery includes visits from family and friends. This incident helps Heather realize that the company of others is more valuable and helpful than it is hurtful. Heather decides to forgive her past pain to live a more positive future.

Doug is traumatized by his past. Several tours in Afghanistan with the military permanently altered his sense of safety and self. His traumas enabled violence against strangers, pushed his girlfriend away, and alienated his family. For Doug, isolation in the wilderness is the only way to avoid hurting others and the only path to dealing with himself. However, his military skills become important when danger and violence threatens Heather, himself, and the New Year’s Eve guests. Doug learns that his flaws can also be his gift. Although his narrative doesn’t get the same resolution as Heather’s does, he learns to start the journey of coming to terms with his past. Doug discovers that living in the past means that he isn’t as present for current and future danger or happiness.

Katie confronts with her past mistakes. Her affair with Julien leads to an unexpected pregnancy. This poses a major problem for Katie, who is a loner and a workaholic. In addition, it means that she’s betraying her best friend, Miranda. Rather than confide in anyone or seek help for her problems, Katie isolates herself in her own secrets. Because she has betrayed Miranda, Katie ignores Miranda’s past cruelty toward her. This signifies that Katie believes her history of loneliness and coming in second to Miranda is an unchangeable fact of her life. However, Katie doesn’t quite fit in with the others and doesn’t allow herself to make new friends at work. She subconsciously dives into her past as a way to keep her stuck within her present. This is more damaging to her but ultimately easier than changing her life. Only Miranda’s murder and Emma’s assault on Katie make Katie change her attitude toward her past. She decides to let go of her mistakes and live for the future. Katie’s pregnancy symbolizes this change. In welcoming new life into the world, Katie has a chance to focus on the future and forgive the past, especially because Miranda death precludes a resolution to their friendship.