AT THE LIBRARY
“The People We Hate at the Wedding” by Grant Ginder, (Flatiron Books, 336 pages)
Weddings can bring out the best and the worst of people, especially family. Paul and Alice have been invited to the nuptials of their older half-sister, Eloise. Eloise, who, according to her siblings, is prettier, better educated, and more successful than them, thinks it’s a grand time for a family reunion and is throwing a lavish wedding for all of them to attend! This means Paul will have to face his mother, Donna, and her betrayal to his father’s memory. Alice will have to suck it up with her sister’s snotty bridesmaids while ignoring her stagnating work and social life. And, will flighty Donna fall head-overheels again for her first husband, Henrique?
Ginder tackles this dysfunctional family with snarky sarcasm as they fumble through one of life’s most stressful and, in this case, awkward occasions. “The People We Hate at the Wedding” exposes the frictions between adult siblings as well as their parents, demonstrates the value of accepting one’s own flaws and reveals the power of familial love. Fans of novels such as Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s “The Nest” may appreciate this family’s outlandish adventures.