Alice and Paul's half-sister Eloise has just invited them to her wedding in London! It's going to be a beautiful event with fancy hotels, dinners, and a reception at a country estate. Sounds great? Actually, Alice and Paul couldn't hate it more.
And so begins this story of a family that is far from perfect. Alice, in her thirties, is smart, beautiful and single (although she's stuck in a predictable affair with her married boss). Paul lives with his older, tenured-track professor who lately has been dropping comments about how monogamy is an oppressive construct (uh oh). Donna, their mother, is a widow living in the Chicago suburbs and dealing with her life by smoking pot and watching endless episodes of House Hunters International (and trying not to think of her previous husband, Eloise's father).
And then there's Eloise. She's cultured, beautiful and perfectly nice about everything . . . which, of course, just makes Alice and Paul completely hate her. However, Alice, Paul and Donna all make the decision to attend Eloise's London wedding. Will this be the event that brings them all together into a happy family?
This is a funny book, although with some biting and bitter humor in it. Alice is kind of a nasty person, and Paul's no treat, either. Donna's okay, but I didn't find her super-appealing, either. At first, you think the three of them deserve each other and you have no idea why Eloise keeps making an effort to be so nice. It's an interesting book about family dynamics, though, and it kept me reading up to the end.
One note: this is a bit of a personal irritation, but I found something in the book that made me want to smack the author. I feel like it's clear that he hasn't been to the Chicago suburbs (where Donna lives) because for one, the Oakbrook Mall (where Donna goes shopping) does not have a food court. I know. I lived in the Chicago area for almost my entire life (up until about 2 years ago, actually) and have been to Oakbrook Mall more times than I can count. It's an upscale, outdoor mall. Ok. Snarky little rant over.
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