The Wedding People – Alison Espach
"The Wedding People" is a lighthearted dive into deep themes with a nice mixture of humor, drama and introspection. Alison Espach proves that a story about suicide and adultery can be surprisingly entertaining.
Phoebe, a recently divorced adjunct professor, checks into the tony Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, determined to end it all. Unbeknownst to her, she’s the only guest who isn’t there for the million dollar wedding of Lila and Gary.
A series of somewhat madcap events — and a fair amount of radical honesty — endear her to the bride, who convinces her to call off her plan and instead serve as her maid of honor.
There’s only so many ways a “person hellbent on dying finds a reason to live again” plot can feel fresh. For the first quarter of the novel it felt very familiar (I couldn’t help but think of Matt Haig’s “The Midnight Library”), but Espach quickly drew me into the lives of Lila and Phoebe, two women navigating a week of unexpected soul-searching.
Between the witty banter and scenery chewing characters you’d expect in a beach read romance, the author elevated this above the usual genre fare of low-stakes champagne problems with a remarkable sense of reliability in the two main characters.
Phoebe is a geriatric Millennial experiencing life at the bottom of the U-curve, while Lila is an older Gen Zer on the cusp of adulthood and all the decisions it brings. Lila's abrasive personality and Phoebe's seemingly perfect demeanor might initially seem polarizing, but Espach manages to make both characters affable.
This worked for me because it is essentially a story about the power of human connection. Sometimes, it's the support of a loved one or close friend that keeps us grounded, while other times, it's a serendipitous encounter that pulls us back from the edge.
Despite its strengths, the novel does have some drawbacks. The plot can be convoluted and overly dramatic, and the male characters feel somewhat underdeveloped. The large cast, consisting primarily of wedding guests and hotel employees, can be difficult to follow in audiobook format.
Beyond the honest conversations between Phoebe and Lila and Phoebe and Gary, the story often falls into familiar rom-com tropes. While it's not a groundbreaking work of literature, it surpassed expectations for its genre, offering more depth and nuance than anticipated.
While I don’t want to exaggerate its merits, the novel had more strengths than weaknesses. The final act is nearly pitch-perfect, as the wedding unravels and Espach deftly handles the sensitive topic of the groom and maid of honor falling in love. This is a challenging subject to navigate, but she managed to do so without crossing boundaries or demonizing any of the characters. That’s no easy feat.
Helen Laser’s narration brought each character to life with energy and enthusiasm. While the production occasionally stumbles with awkward and distracting edits, her performance was consistently engaging. Even Lila, a character often perceived as shrill, comes across with a certain charm.
Thank you to Libro.fm, Macmillan Audio and the author for a free copy of the audiobook. This exchange of goods did not influence my review.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): 3.5/5 stars
Format: Audiobook (personal library)
Dates read: August 14 – August 21, 2024
Multi-tasking: Good to go. While the story can sometimes feel like a mess of names and past and present personal reflections, it isn’t incredibly difficult to follow regardless of activity.
