NEW RELEASE
The Singles - Meredith Goldstein (2012)
Bee Evans always resented brides that didn't give her a plus-one invite to their wedding. Bee vowed that when she got married, everyone would be allowed to bring a guest. As her wedding date approaches and her RSVPs are returned, Bee is frustrated that five of her guests declined her offer to bring a guest and are showing up single. Confused by where to seat them, Bee nicknames the five guests the "SINGLES". Hannah, Vicki, Rob, Joe and Nancy are the single guests. Hannah, Vicki and Rob all attended Syracuse University with Bee. Joe is Bee's blacksheep uncle. Nancy is a friend of the groom's parents. Days before the wedding, Nancy is stricken with a virus and forces her reluctant son, Phil, to attend in her place. With each chapter being told from an alternating perspective of a different "single", we learn the background of each character and ultimately how their stories all interconnect. Anyone who has ever been stuck attending a function without a date can appreciate this well-written novel. (AO)
American journalist Meredith Goldstein's first novel The Singles (aka The Wedding Guests in the UK) has already been optioned for film and television by Lime Orchard Productions. The story centres around five friends who attend a wedding weekend as the only guests without a plus one. The summary says: "One wedding. Five nightmare guests. Five ways to ruin the happiest day of someone else's life:
- Cry uncontrollably over your ex in front of the bride and mix calming herbal remedies with copious amounts of alcohol so that it's hard to stand up - especially if you're a bridesmaid.
- Dress like you are attending a funeral and look for opportunities to re-enact scenes from steamy novels.
- Turn up late wearing a T-shirt covered in mud and something that looks like blood.
- If you are the bride's uncle, who no one likes anyway, try to cop off with her friend who's way too young for you.
- Wear a suit that stinks of chicken wings and then spend the whole reception propping up the bar.
Who said going to a wedding solo couldn't be fun?" The Singles is out in April. Goldstein is an advice columnist and entertainment reporter for The Boston Globe. She is best known for her Love Letters blog.