Somewhere, in the zeitgeist, Cassandra at the Wedding made it onto my reading list. As is often the case, by the time the book becomes available at the New York Public Library, I can’t remember why I was interested - let alone the plot. But I move forward on faith, and I’m often rewarded. Such is the case of Cassandra at the Wedding.
Written in 1962, this novelette by Dorothy Baker has the tight edit of a short story and the depth of a play. It’s the story of twin sisters who grew up on a ranch in Northern California. One of the twins is getting married and the eponymous Cassandra is not coping well with the idea of her sister getting married.
While the story is compelling, the language and the writing are what drives one to turn the page. Each chapter alternates between sisters. As is often in life, they both have a handle on the other’s thoughts, but not the whole story.
One reviewer likened Baker’s writing to that of Jhumpa Lahiri, which tracks. Lahiri is one of my favorite writers. Here is link to a New York magazine article that tries to track the novel’s enduring popularity.
The novel is tagged with as an LGBTQ work, but I’m not sure that is a deep vein within the book. Baker did go on to explore LGBTQ relationships in other work, so perhaps that drives the assessment. The story is about the intensity of sibling relationships and how they can manifest in complicated families.
About the Author
Dorothy Baker (1907–1968) was born in Missoula, Montana, in 1907 and raised in California. After graduating from UCLA , she traveled in France, where she began a novel and, in 1930, married the poet Howard Baker. The couple moved back to California, and Baker completed an MA in French, later teaching at a private school. After having a few short stories published, she turned to writing full time, despite, she would later claim, being “seriously hampered by an abject admiration for Ernest Hemingway.” More about Dorothy Baker.
Book Club Readers Guide or Purchase Here
Same Shelf:
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
