Take an instantly recognizable social dilemma—attending a wedding alone—add a good laugh (and maybe a cry), and meet The Singles, the warm and witty debut by Boston Globe “Love Letters” columnist Meredith Goldstein.
Beth “Bee” Evans’s first vow as a bride is that everyone on her list be invited to bring a guest to her lavish, Chesapeake Bay nuptials. When Hannah, Vicki, Rob, Joe, and Nancy one by one decline Bee’s generous offer, the frustrated bride dubs them the “Singles,” adrift on her seating chart as well as in life.
The Singles is one of those books that left me feeling indifferent. At 241 pages and one wedding weekend, there really wasn't much to it. The humour was lost on me. Sure, there were awkward moments, which could've been funny but they left me cringing. Also, the portrayal of all the wedding guests who were single as weird kind of grated on me. Not all single people are weird and not all weird people are single. Yet that's the sense that I walked away with from this book.
Maybe it would've worked better as a play because visually, it might've been more entertaining. As a novel though, it really was just a means of passing time. I should've spent that time catching up on TV shows or read more interesting books.
Knowing that I will never re-read this book makes me sad about shelf space. Maybe I should donate it to my local library since I can't think of anyone I would recommend it to. It's not exactly a book I would wish on anyone. I found it too dull for that.
