In The Wedding, author Gurjinder Basran weaves a fictional story depicting an extravagant wedding between two wealthy Sikh-Canadian families living in Vancouver. As Devi Dosanjh and Nanak “Baby” Atwal, the bride and groom, navigate the final days before the wedding, Basran makes us privy to their anticipation, doubts, and musings about the past.
The events leading up to the big day are portrayed through the eyes of a variety of characters connected in some way to the bride and groom, or to the event itself. By devoting individual chapters to parents, grandparents, members of the kitchen staff, an ex-boyfriend of the bride, the brother of the groom, a local journalist, and other characters, Basran provides a broad, multi-faceted, and often humorous picture of what is going on both on and under the surface. The Wedding’s plotline also builds tension as the reader is made privy to the thoughts of the various main players.
Though fictional, The Wedding contains insights about relationships and about human nature that ring true. Thoughts about marriage and relationships are shared by characters for whom things worked out well, and for those who’s stories did not. By providing the viewpoint of individuals from different generations, Basran also gives us a look at changing attitudes toward marriage and individual freedoms. She also explores family dynamics and friendships, and the ways in which social media and societal pressures make big events more stressful.
Though revolving around Sikh-Canadian culture, some of the observations about the dynamics of the immigrant experience transcend ethnicity. The musings of some of the older characters, including their hope that their children will have an easier life than they did, echo the aspirations held by immigrants like my parents, who came to Canada from Europe in the 1950s.
Though The Wedding takes us through the events leading up to Devi and Baby’s big day, the book is about more than just one wedding. Basran’s novel inspires thought about familial and societal obligations and ties and the various ways these play out in our lives, particularly when it comes to major events. Multi-faceted, insightful, and layered, Basran’s novel delivers an enjoyable read.
Gurjinder Basran is the award-winning author of three novels: Everything Was Goodbye (Penguin Canada), winner of the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and a Chatelaine Magazine Book Club pick; Someone You Love Is Gone (Penguin Canada and Harper Perennial); and Help! I’m Alive! (ECW Press). A Simon Fraser University Writer’s Studio alumna hailed by the CBC as one of “Ten Canadian women writers you need to read,” Basran balances the demands of her creative life with her “other” career in the tech sector. She is currently the Director of Learning, Development and Communications at Bell Canada. She lives in Delta, BC, with her family.
Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre (July 9, 2024)
Paperback 6″ x 9″ | 224 pages
ISBN: 9781771624169
Lisa Timpf is a retired HR and communications professional who lives in Simcoe, Ontario. Her writing has appeared in New Myths, Star*Line, The Future Fire, Triangulation: Habitats, and other venues. Lisa’s speculative haibun collection, In Days to Come, is available from Hiraeth Publishing. You can find out more about Lisa’s writing at http://lisatimpf.blogspot.com/.
- Lisa Timpfhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lisat/
- Lisa Timpfhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lisat/
- Lisa Timpfhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lisat/
- Lisa Timpfhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lisat/
- Lisa Timpfhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lisat/
- Lisa Timpfhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lisat/
