“The Wedding People” by Alison Espach is a near-perfect summer read. Adjunct Professor Phoebe Stone makes for a likable, albeit troubled protagonist, and her plight of being newly divorced and professionally stifled will resonate with many readers.
With heart and humor, “The Wedding People” offers different perspectives on the grieving process. Phoebe is grieving her marriage and hope of having biological children, while Gary is mourning his wife, and Lila her father. Their interactions and eventual acceptance of their losses will make you smirk, laugh, and maybe even shed a tear or two.
Character Analysis
Main Characters
Phoebe
Lila
Matt
Gary
Melanie “Juice”
Phoebe, a recently divorced adjunct English professor from the University of Missouri, abruptly leaves her home and job in St. Louis to book a suite at the Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island.
Having felt depressed and increasingly isolated for the past two years, Phoebe decides to visit the high-end resort to end her life. She brings with her painkillers her deceased cat, Harry, didn’t finish before he died. She only delays her suicide attempt after overhearing the “wedding people” partying below her room. From there, the bride decides to include Phoebe in the festivities.
Twenty-eight-year-old Lila is obsessed with having the perfect $1 million six-day wedding. The only child of the “trash king of Rhode Island” and art gallery owner Patricia is marrying older Gary and becoming a stepmother to Juice. Despite her superficial investment in decorations, designer gowns, and dinner courses, Lila drunkenly confides in Phoebe that she doesn’t want to marry Gary.
Prominent gastroenterologist Gary is eager to marry Lila and begin a new chapter of his life after the death of his wife Wendy. He proposed to his much-younger girlfriend on a trip to a German castle after six-month courtship. While he goes along with Lila’s demands, he’s not invested in the wedding events.
Melanie “Juice” is Gary’s 11-year-old daughter. She remains distraught over her mother’s death and insists on being called “Juice” because it’s a nickname from her. The tween maintains an icy relationship with Lila, who unsuccessfully tries to engage her repeatedly. Phoebe is able to better understand the girl because of her own upbringing and experience dealing with students.
Although he’s not one of the wedding people, Phoebe’s ex-husband Matt looms large and does eventually make an unplanned appearance. His inability to communicate with Phoebe and decision to end their marriage after cheating with a younger colleague are the impetus for why Phoebe visits the inn and wants to commit suicide.
Plot Summary
Opening as Professor Phoebe Stone arrives at the elite Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island. She’s made a last-minute reservation at the moneyed Cornwall Inn to stay in a swanky room, have a decadent meal, and then overdose on painkillers and die.
Phoebe, a mild-mannered academic from the University of Missouri, arrives at the inn just as a large wedding party is checking in for a six-day celebration. She studies two guests and gives them nicknames (neck pillow and high bun) before being handed a bottle of chocolate wine from the bride and checking into her spacious suite.
On her elevator ride to her Roaring Twenties penthouse suite with an ocean view, the bride insists upon riding up with Phoebe. The two woman have an awkward talk that reveals Phoebe is the only guest who isn’t part of the wedding and her suicide plans for that evening.
The stylish younger woman insists Phoebe cannot take her life at the Cornwall because it will disrupt the wedding she’s planned since childhood. Phoebe refuses to change her plans and exits the lift fully intent on overdosing that night.
That evening, when smoking a cigarette on the balcony, Phoebe begins to reconsider her plans as she observes the wedding people below. The bride, named Lila, barges into Phoebe’s suite and demands she stop smoking and her suicide plans.
Lila trauma dumps on Phoebe even while the two argue about where the Cornwall allows smoking. After the younger woman leaves, Phoebe moves forward with her plans and takes the painkillers, but listening to the party below causes her to vomit them into the toilet.
Phoebe awakens the next morning feeling ill but also optimistic. Lilah once again stops by uninvited and insists that still-alive academic become part of the wedding party. Lila’s command that Phoebe join the wedding people for the remaining five days of festivities leads to much awkwardness and a test of loyalties for both women.
A late-night encounter with a charming man in the hot tub reignites Phoebe’s romantic desires and boosts her confidence. She soon learns that the man, Gary, is Lila’s older fiance.
Shenanigans ensue as Phoebe becomes Lila’s maid of honor and her confidante. She listens to Lila’s drunken confessions that she doesn’t want to marry Gary and is still grieving for her recently deceased father. Meanwhile, Phoebe grapples with her loyalty to Lila and own feelings for the gastroenterologist.
Phoebe also finds herself growing close to Gary’s grieving daughter, Juice, cynical sister, Marla, and former brother-in-law Jim. Each has a fractious relationship with Lila that remains unresolved as the wedding approaches.
On the eve of the wedding, Phoebe’s ex-husband, Matt, visits the Cornwall after having his many voicemail messages ignored. They spend the night together, but both know the marriage is over.
Lila’s obsession with having the perfect wedding continues with an objection to the plain black Mercedes sent to drive her to the venue. After realizing no other car is available, Lila admits that she can’t love Gary the way he needs, nor can he give her the love she needs.
Consequently, Phoebe suggests she plan a trip to somewhere she’s never been and go upstairs for a long, hot bath. The beleaguered woman does as she’s told.
Knowing she must announce Lila’s decision to call off the wedding, Phoebe gets into the town car and arrives at the historic mansion venue to inform the wedding party. She walks down the aisle to Gary and whispers the news to him, then watches his stoic reaction of nods and downward looks.
Phoebe next makes a formal declaration of the cancellation to all the attendees. Although it’s difficult, she speaks with finality and considers the experience practice for future conversations.
Upon leaving the wedding, Phoebe sits in the Mercedes with Matt and tells him she’s not returning to St. Louis with him. He’s disappointed but agrees it’s for the best. Phoebe lets go of her resentment, and the ex-partners express their love, and he departs for the airport.
The day after the wedding Phoebe finds Gary and the two talk about how mismatched he and Lila were and how he’s still grieving for his late wife. They then prepare to check out of the Cornwall but agree to keep in touch.
Phoebe leaves the inn with a new suitcase and lease on life.
Final Thoughts
“The Wedding People” adroitly shifts between serious discussions of grief and loss to silliness. The setting of the historic Cornwall Inn in the moneyed town of Newport, R.I. demonstrates that wealth and privilege cannot protect anyone from heartbreak.
You can read this Read with Jenna selection for your own enjoyment or as part of a book club. No matter how you decide, “The Wedding People” is worth your time!
Rating
My rating is 4/5 stars.
Book Details
Title: “The Wedding People”
Author: Alison Espach
Year of Publication: 2024
Number of Pages: 363
