Seating Arrangements

Maggie Shipstead's "Seating Arrangements" plunges readers into the tumultuous world of the Van Meters, gathered on the exclusive island of Waskeke for a seemingly perfect New England wedding. As pregnant Daphne prepares to marry the impeccably proper Greyson Duff, an undercurrent of long-buried discontent and simmering desires threatens to upend the meticulously planned festivities. Winn Van Meter, the bride's father, finds himself in a personal crisis, tormented by an inappropriate infatuation with Daphne's beguiling bridesmaid, Agatha, and grappling with the specter of his other daughter, Livia, falling prey to Greyson's best man after a recent heartbreak. Amidst the champagne and practiced bonhomie, old resentments resurface, exacerbated by absurd events like a beached whale and an escaped lobster. Shipstead delivers a sharply satirical, darkly comedic, and ultimately poignant exploration of wealth, privilege, and the chaotic unraveling of a family's carefully constructed facade.