The Wedding People

When Phoebe enters the crowded lobby at the infamous Cornwall Inn of Newport RI, she is wearing a beautiful green dress and carries no luggage. Phoebe, a literature professor from St. Louis, booked an ocean view suite for this auspicious occasion. To be alone and mourn the husband she lost and life that is no longer attainable. As she carefully observes the lobby Phoebe realizes these guests are attending a wedding. In fact, she is the only non wedding guest in the hotel. Alone in the elevator, Phoebe and Lila, the beautiful bride, strike up an unlikely friendship, confiding things in each other they probably shouldn’t be saying out loud. Before she knows it Phoebe is spending the week with “the wedding people” who are mostly named Jim and more wrapped up in themselves than to bother asking why this stranger is at the wedding. While helping Lila have “the most amazing wedding week ever” Phoebe reflects on the dissolution of her own marriage and the devastating betrayal of the man she loved. As she remembers the painful IVF failures and the family she will never have she closely watches Lila and sees the pain beneath the glitz and glamour; a difficult eccentric mother, the devastating loss of her father and the fact she is marrying a perfect man whom she may not actually love. As the two women share their lives and experiences with each other they are able to honestly face their true selves in the mirror. A million dollar wedding week filled with outrageous characters, dark humor and the ultimate search for the meaning of life. This was a unique, well written, captivating story. What is really interesting to note is that at 50% I was not completely hooked, even considered putting this down! But it pulled me back in and got progressively better. This never happens! I am so glad I finished and wound up loving it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️