The story is told from several different perspectives and the narrative shifts from past to present with some chapters describing the search for the body, and others detailing each of the main characters’ thoughts and actions in the days and hours immediately before the gruesome discovery. While we know from the beginning that a tragedy has occurred during the wedding reception, the identity of the victim is not revealed until the final chapters. With each chapter, you see their stories coalesce around one individual whose selfishness has left a trail of sadness and a desire for revenge. The stoic and enigmatic wedding planner also has a few things to say for herself.Īs the story progresses, several of the characters reveal a tragedy from their past which is still a source of great pain. The other primary players are Jules’s sister, her best friend Charlie, and his wife, Hannah. Even by the end of the book, I really couldn’t tell the difference between Pete, Angus, or Duncan. Johnno is Will’s best friend and the others, collectively referred to as “the ushers,” all kind of run together. The group is bound by the memories of their strict English public school whose headmaster was none other than Will’s father. Will’s friends from his school days are in attendance. Are they in love? In my opinion, they are each in love with themselves and very much in love with the idea of their union. They’re a couple made in social media heaven and they want their wedding to reflect their great beauty and allure. Jules runs a trendy online magazine and Will is on the verge of stardom thanks to his reality TV show, Survive the Night.

Jules and Will have invited their closest friends and family to an uninhabited island off the coast of Ireland for what’s sure to be a most unique wedding.

Add in their very complicated histories and a dangerous, uncompromising landscape and you’ve ticked pretty much all my boxes. She’s once again taken a group of mostly well-educated, hedonistic friends and deposited them on a remote island for what is ostensibly a celebration. It’s her follow-up to The Hunting Party and I think she’s honing her skills on this particular variation of the closed circle mystery. Lucy Foley’s newest, The Guest List, is getting lots of attention and rightly so. By Mary Beth Newbill | Southern History Department | Central Library

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