Anita Shreve A Wedding in December

A Wedding in December

Anita Shreve

Little, Brown, Oct 2005, $25.95

ISBN: 0316738999

In the Berkshire Mountains, Massachusetts, Nora converted the large mansion, which she shared with her famous husband Carl the poet, until he committed suicide to end the pain from throat cancer last year, into an inn. Six of her friends from the Kidd Academy in Maine, gather here for the wedding of two of them; the single mother of teen Bridget to her high school sweetheart Bill.

Harrison still hurts from what happened almost three decades ago in Maine, though he is married with two sons. Agnes currently teaches history at the Academy, and has kept a secret from her friends, but relishes being able to say out loud the name of the man she loves, their English teacher Jim Mitchell. The bride has breast cancer and doubts about marrying, while the groom never forgot his first love, leaving his wife and daughter and alienating his family to be with Bridget. Rob and Jerry round out the magnificent seven, who spend the weekend sharing what memories, regrets, and hopefully forgiveness that each needs.

A WEDDING IN DECEMBER is a well written character study that in some ways feels like a family dram,a as the seven former classmates attend the wedding of two of them, while each ponders if they can regain paradise lost like Bill and Bridget are trying to do. Each protagonist is different, so that the readers can appreciate the various personalities. Though much of the tale focuses on the interactions (past and present), between Harrison and Nora. In spite of the lack of action, fans of deep complex relationship dramas, that cleverly look back at the past while dreaming of a future, will want to read Anita Shreve's deep and thoughtful novel.