A Comedy of Millennial Wedding Culture

Avery Carpenter Forrey’s debut novel, Social Engagement, offers readers an incisive look into the whims and woes of millennial wedding culture. Described by Vogue as a skewering of modern nuptial conventions, this book blends light-hearted satire with darkly humorous narrative twists. It promises to be a page-turner, especially for those intrigued by the world of social media and millennial dynamics.

The Chaos of Callie Holt’s Wedding Night

Set against the backdrop of Watch Hill, Rhode Island’s most coveted wedding venue, readers meet Callie Holt in a less-than-ideal scenario. Sprawled in a bathtub, indulging in pizza while her groom lies unconscious in the next room, Callie’s seven-hour-old marriage seems doomed from the start. This setting effectively establishes the tone for the narrative, suggesting that the ensuing exploration of her year leading up to the wedding will be equally tumultuous and revealing.

Searching for Answers in a Year of Weddings

Forrey uses Callie’s investigative journey through her phone’s photographic evidence to portray a year rife with social entanglements and secrets. From moving in with her affluent best friend Virginia Murphy to the reappearance of her ex, Ollie, the novel doesn’t shy away from depicting the messy intersections of relationships, class, and ambition. Each event Callie recollects serves as a critique of the veneers people maintain on social media versus their true selves.

A Reckoning of Realities

As Callie attends multiple weddings and becomes increasingly engulfed in social media’s demands, Forrey cleverly exposes the dichotomies between curated online personas and genuine human experiences. Callie’s journey towards creating art becomes her means of reconciling these differences. Through a reckoning that unveils closely guarded secrets and deep-seated resentments, Social Engagement brings characters to confront their true, unfiltered selves, serving as a mirror to our contemporary social fabric.