People We Hate at the Wedding
by Ginder, Grant






A fractured family from the Chicago suburbs reluctantly gathers in London to attend the eldest daughter's wedding to an upper-crust Englishman, an affair that exposes secrets, triggers riotous culture clashes, and tests the bonds of both families.





Grant Ginder is the author of THIS IS HOW IT STARTS and DRIVER'S EDUCATION. He received his MFA from NYU, where he teaches writing. He lives in Brooklyn.

A few summers ago, on the train back to the city from a wedding, a friend of Grant's pulled out three bottles of pinot grigio which he had managed to snag from the reception, and which they proceeded to finish in about forty-five minutes. And, as the train winded its way toward Manhattan, the friend turned to Grant with glossy eyes and said "Okay, guys, people we hated at the wedding: go." The next day, Grant started writing.





*Starred Review* Paul is having a difficult time. He's working at a clinic helping people overcome their phobias, dealing with his boyfriend's growing dissatisfaction with monogamy, and continuing to avoid any contact with his mother. His sister Alice is not doing any better, stuck in a dead-end job, having an affair with her boss, and relying way too heavily on retail therapy to ease her angst. Just when they think it can't get more complicated, they receive invitations to their half-sister Eloise's wedding. Eloise, who lives in London and has led a life of privilege-including private schools, posh vacations, and a trust fund-is a woman they want to love but can't help hating. As the estranged family gathers in London, their hopes, dreams, prejudices, and jealousies take on new life. Ginder (Driver's Education, 2013) successfully captures the clash between people who are intimately connected yet deeply at odds. These characters are completely clueless and utterly self-absorbed yet highly likable, their trials and tribulations painful at times and joyful at others but always entertaining. Ginder's latest is a fascinating exploration of family dynamics and the complex way we interact with those who know us best. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.





An extravagant wedding is threatened by equally lavish family tensions.Paul is a cranky gay guy, and he has a lot to be cranky about, really. He has a job at a clinic where he helps people face their compulsions-for example, forcing a germophobic client who could have "been plucked from a year-old Talbots catalog" to stand in trash cans full of rotting food and maxipads. At home, his smug, controlling boyfriend wants to start inviting strangers into their bed for three-way sex. And his half sister, Eloise, who lives in England, has just sent out ridiculously expensive invitations to her wedding-she must have spent nearly five grand, as he and his other sister, Alice, determine in the phone conversation that opens the book. Paul initially refuses to attend the wedding for the same reasons he refuses to take his mother's phone calls-he can't stand Eloise, thinks their mom favors her, and has been alienated from the family since his father's death. Meanwhile, A lice is not doing great either: living in LA, she dates a married man and relies on Klonopin to get her through the days, unable to recover from a miscarriage that happened years ago. Their mother, Donna, is not too broken up about the death of her second husband (Paul and Alice's dad) and still half in love with her first (Eloise's, who will be at the wedding). She is just hoping to smooth over all these problems and get her children together for the fabulous event. Ginder (Driver's Education, 2013) has a gift for the gleefully outrageous, dishing up one over-the-top scene after another-a meltdown at the compulsion clinic, a drugged-up gay sex imbroglio, a room service debauch, an unexpected and quite unwelcome kayaking trip. A daisy chain of debacles makes time spent with "people we hate" good fun. Copyright Kirkus 2017 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.






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