THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING
Jason Rekulak
His daughter, not estranged but definitely distant, calls out of the blue, out of turn, and announces she is getting married and would like him to come and be a part of the festivities. Overly delighted and willing to do almost anything for his daughter, he wishes her congratulations, although he has reservations about the man she will marry.
Her fiancé, is the son of a man richer than the pate they will serve at reception. His kind of rich is called wealth and there isn’t much his money can’t buy, including his daughter’s adoration.
He asks if he can contribute to the wedding, he is not wealthy. He has made his living as a UPS driver for years. He can’t do a lot, but he has the kind of love for his daughter that can only come free, the kind of affection that only comes gratuitously.
When he arrives at the wedding there are things that don’t line up correctly. What should be isn’t and what is should never have been. He worries for his daughter and her future. But before he can stand up against the union at the ceremony, he finds there are bigger things to worry about than his daughter’s future marriage.
He must ensure that they all make it out of the ceremony alive, and he must ensure he is not THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING.
This is my second Rekulak. I liked HIDDEN PICTURES and although the twist raised a few hairs at the back of my neck, I enjoyed his writing and couldn’t wait to see what he had come up with in THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING.
I think where Rekulak shines is in the creation of his characters. If you’ve read a lot of thrillers you’ll find that just as a director only makes several iterations of one movie, sometimes it feels like writers only have one story to tell, one character portrait to examine, and one dynamic to exploit.
However, Rekulak seems to have several face cards in his hand, and he takes the pot in THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING with ease as if he knew what the river held, how the turn would play out, how all the cards would land.
He’s the winner here and you will be too after picking up THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING.
Out now!
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy! It was a pleasure to read, and I can’t wait for the next one.
THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
THE SEQUEL
Jean Hanff Korelitz
Let me just spoil the whole thing for you…THE SEQUEL is not as good as THE PLOT, it’s not as good as everyone is saying it is, and it’s not as good as you want it to be. It is, however, good.
Anna is now a widow. Her late husband was a notorious author whose fame was tarnished by talk of plagiarism. But Anna ended all the rumors when she buried her husband last year. She doesn’t have much to prove to anyone but herself. She decides to publish her own book one day, because how hard can it be?
When the book is published with overwhelming success, she find herself in a curious situation that goes beyond what her next book should be about. She again has a situation to take care of. She again has a rumor to bury, and again she must prove to herself that she is the writer of her own story.
The reason why you are seeing it on everyone’s Fall to read list is because it is about the publishing industry and people in the publishing industry love nothing more than a self-indulgent bookish book.
Now I didn’t say that the book was bad, I gave it four stars. I listened to the audiobook, and it’s narrated by Julia Whelan. Whelan is nothing if not superb and she handles the material like the professional narrator she is.
I thought THE PLOT was more imaginative and that might be because it was to me. I had not read a book like it. It felt original but assuredly it was inspired by something that had come before it, I simply had not read it yet.
Jordan Harper said, and Jean Hanff Korelitz seconded “Everything is a sequel…” Essentially there are no “new” ideas. It’s the best line in the book and it is parroted itself. It is a sequel.
Should you pre-order it, reserve it at the library, put a hold on it on Libby…yes!
Should you tell your friends about it…you’ll have to let me know!
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy!
Out next Tuesday, October 1, 2024.
Let’s talk about it in the comments!
THE SEQUEL…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For this title, I recommend:
Cien por Ciento
2021 Bonarda from Mendoza, Argentina
If you liked this review…you might like:
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
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PLAYGROUND
Richard Powers
Although Richard Powers’ PLAYGROUND is not published in the US yet, it has been longlisted for THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024. It is due to be released on September 24, 2024. The themes in this book are indicative of and like many other titles on the list.
If all the books have a similar theme it is SYMBIOSIS.
But I’m getting ahead of myself and we’re only talking about PLAYGROUND here today. So let’s take a step back and talk about it.
My first experience with Richard Powers didn’t go over well. I DNF’d OVERSTORY and although it was an Oprah Book Club choice, I decided it wasn’t for me. Then I read BEWILDERMENT and was blown away. Powers’ connection to language and to the Earth is extraordinary. And to be a part of it as a reader is a wonderful experience.
PLAYGROUND features characters, but it is more about how we interact with our environment and secondly how we interact with each other. One prominent storyline features a curious young boy who grows into a successful businessman. To have that success he essentially must unbecome a lot of who he is. The two identities cannot exist in the same body.
Is there a version of you that you need to let go of to allow a new rendition to come in?
PLAYGROUND is about symbiosis. How when two things come together a new thing is born. There is no end of us and a beginning to the universe. We extend beyond our human form and part of our expression as humans is how we treat this part of us that is the universe.
You are not a human in the universe. You are the universe.
It is a lot about how we interact with our environment. It’s also about the lasting changes we make to our environment. How all of us who inhabit the EARTH change it for the worse.
In some ways Powers is a literary boy scout. Who wants us to leave this Earth better than we found it. It is in our nature to have dominion over all. To do that we must first have dominion over ourselves.
And every single choice we make as we make it through our days and nights makes a difference. Sam recycling in New York, helps the fish in the deep blue sea in California. Every time we litter or drive our cars, or water our yards unnecessarily, we take. From the forests to the oceans and everything in and between continents.
If you want a flavor of all the books, PLAYGROUND is the one I recommend. An easy Five Stars.
*Full-cast narration
Thanks to W.W. Norton, Netgalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the advanced copies!
PLAYGROUND… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
