A WEDDING IN DECEMBER by Anita Shreve
Author Anita Shreve generally can be counted on to create intricate plots with fascinating characters. She did this in such well-loved novels as THE PILOT'S WIFE and LIGHT ON SNOW. In her new novel, A WEDDING IN DECEMBER, she seems to have lost her way. This literary stumble is just not up to her usual standards.
The story concerns a wedding in New England. It is being held at a bed and breakfast run by Nora. She is one of a group of high school friends who are reuniting for the wedding. For some of the people who are coming this will be their first reunion in twenty-something years.
The wedding is Bridget and Bill's. They were sweethearts in high school but split up soon after graduation and each married someone else. Then at a later high school reunion they met again and fell instantly back in love. Bill was married with a daughter but he left them to be with Bridget. Bridget was already a divorcee' with a son.
The wedding is especially poignant because Bridget is suffering from cancer and doesn't know how long she will actually live. Bill loves her so much he is willing to take the risk that their happiness could be short lived.
Another participant in the reunion is Agnes. She has never married but has been involved in an affair with one of the group's high school teachers. She keeps this relationship secret but longs to shout it to all of her old friends.
Agnes is also an aspiring writer and creates a story about "the Halifax Disaster" which occurred in Nova Scotia many years ago. This story within a story is annoying and dilutes the impact of the main one.
Hovering over all the festivities is the ghost of Stephen, the golden boy of the group who drowned shortly before the group graduated. He was romantically paired with Nora and was roommates with Harrison. Harrison was secretly in love with Nora but stayed away from her because of Stephen.
All of these entanglements sound interesting but they aren't. They are tiring and tedious with too little disclosure and too little action. Each member of the group tends to tiptoe around his/her problems and circumstances rather than hitting them head on.
Anita Shreve is a gifted writer, of that there can be no doubt. But with this novel she operates at a level beneath her previous successes. A WEDDING IN DECEMBER proves to be the least successful, as far as being entertaining, of any of her books to date.
A WEDDING IN DECEMBER is published by Little, Brown and Company. It contains 325 pages and sells for $25.95.