Robin and Ellie have been best friends since childhood. When Robin came out, Ellie was there for her. When Ellie's father died, Robin had her back. But when Ellie asks Robin to be her maid of honor, she is reluctant. A queer academic, Robin is dubious of the elaborate wedding rituals now sweeping the nation, which go far beyond champagne toasts and a bouquet toss. But loyalty wins out, and Robin accepts.
Laskey’s second novel is a force of dark humor, captivating in its boldness and its portrayal of a friendship torn apart by tradition. For readers of satire and thrillers with an added dose of dystopia.
The bridezilla trope is pretty well played out by now, and Laskey winks a little too much at The Handmaid’s Tale. Nevertheless, Laskey successfully creates an eerie tone for the novel and a discomforting closeness between Ellie and Robin, two women who share a deep bond forged in adolescence. Ultimately, the novel settles into the sweet spot of dystopia: just unrealistic enough to feel fantastical but grounded in sufficient reality for the reader to pose the question, could this really happen?
... enjoyable and darkly comic ... Though a few outlandish events stretch the bounds of believability, the story has plenty of verve, and the social satire is accurate if not especially profound. There’s nothing exceptional about this, but it nails what it sets out to do.
