Review of "The Dilemma: A Domestic Drama" by B.A. Paris

 

Livia grew up in London with rather distant parents, but has good memories of the hours she and her mother spent perusing bridal magazines. Livia and her mother would look at the dresses and cakes and flower arrangements, and mom would talk about the wonderful wedding she and her husband would make Livia one day.



Livia dreamed about this wedding all through adolescence, making plans for the wonderful celebration.



Then Livia got pregnant at seventeen, and not only was there no big wedding, but Livia's parents cut her off completely. Instead of a lavish affair, Livia and her boyfriend Adam had a 15-minute ceremony in the local registry office.



Livia felt cheated out of her extravagant shindig, and by the time she was twenty, started making plans for a big bash on her fortieth birthday. Livia saved up money, little by little, and - over the years - made plans for the festivities: food, drinks, decorations, clothing, guests, and so on.



Now Livia's fortieth birthday has arrived, and the party is a go.

In their private lives Livia and her husband Adam are happily married after a rough start.



They have two grown children: 22-year-old Josh, who's in digital marketing.....



.....and 19-year-old Marnie, who's studying in Hong Kong. Unfortunately Marnie has finals and can't get back for her mom's party, but promises to visit when the semester ends.



Adam - who feels guilty about his immature behavior early in the marriage - is totally on board with his wife's celebration. Adam helps with the preparations, buys Livia a lovely gift, and even plans a HUGE surprise for the evening of the wingding.



As things turn out, both Adam and Livia are harboring BIG secrets on the day of the party, secrets that might derail the festivities. Thus, the spouses are determined to stay mum until the celebration ends. Adam wants Livia to have the party of her dreams, and Livia wants to enjoy this last blowout with her best friends....one of whom has multiple sclerosis.



The narrative unfolds in one-hour-increments on the day of the party, in the alternating voices of Livia and Adam. Livia spends the afternoon at a spa with her friends, then tries to enjoy the evening.....



.....and Adam frets all through the day and night.



The premise of the book is intriguing, but I have several problems with the plot.

⦿ Outside of a novel, I don't think people would behave like Livia and Adam. In real life, people would spill the beans pretty quickly.

⦿ Whenever Adam or Livia is about to disclose something important, they're distracted by someone or something. This seems like the dramatic version of a comedy farce.

⦿ The details about the protagonists' minute to minute activities gets a bit tedious.

That said, I'm in the minority, and many people loved this book. So you might want to give it a try if the premise interests you.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (B.A. Paris), and the publisher (St. Martin's Press) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars