Apr 25 2009
A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve - a review
A group of forty somethings in this book by Anita Shreve gather together at a bed and breakfast in the Berkshires in Western, MA to celebrate the marriage of two of thier group. This group has a connection - they all graduated from Kidd’s Academy in 1974 together. Bill and Bridget are the two that are getting married, after rediscovering each other 22 years after their relationship in high school. It’s a second marriage for both of them, each have children from their first marriages and Bridget is fighting breast cancer, and has a 50/50 chance of beating it. Nora, another classmate, owns and runs the inn that they marry at and is a widow. The death of a charming schoolmate- Stephen - hangs over the entire event. Stephen died at a drunken high school party and Harrison, who was in love with Nora (who was dating Stephen at the time) was his roomate. Harrison struggles with what he perceives to be his role in his roomate’s death, even though he has the seemingly perfect life - marriage, two children and a successful career with a publishing house in Toronto. Abrasive Wall Street businessman Jerry, now-out-of-the-closet pianist Rob, single Agnes (who teaches at Kidd and has a secret of her own) and various children round things out. These folks are supposed to be able to find themselves, forty years later, through the stunning revelations that are made during the weekend.
For Ms. Shreve, it’s either hit or miss. When she hits, her novels and stories are phenomenal (think The Pilot’s Wife). Unfortunately, this book is in the miss category - it’s boring and slow and the metaphors are just plain boring. It’s too predictable - the revelations that are made can be seen coming and the actions taken by the characters are also very, very predictable. For example, the characters constantly reminisce about their prior lives together. How many other books or movies have utilized this technique? Tons and most of them are much better than this book! The characters don’t come to any original conclusions on matters such as 9/11, adultery, second marriages or alchol abuse! It was the same stuff that we’ve all heard over and over again in prior books. The plot line and characters just weren’t developed or resolved enough for my tastes, even though I liked them.
I just had a hard time getting into this novel and connecting with the stories and characters. You can pass on this one.
Book 22/100
