Breakaway Books

Authored by Dorothy Baker; Published 1962; Fiction

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Cassandra at the Wedding must have caused quite the stir when it was published in 1962. In 2026, it seems almost painfully ordinary, if also clearly tragic. Or perhaps it’s not quite so ordinary, and I have just lived a life full of chaotic wedding.

In Cassandra at the Wedding, the titular Cassandra heads to her family’s ranch to attend the wedding of her twin sister, Judith. The two had been inseparable until Judith decided to cross the country and expand her talents at Julliard. Cassie was devastated by the decision and the separation from her sister—and she’s determined to make sure that separation doesn’t last. Surely Judith can’t really want to get married and live a whole separate life, can she?

I should have compassion with Cassandra. I have myself gone to many weddings where I held my peace and ground my teeth. I have felt abandoned by the women closest to me as they go off into the land of the married people. And so, I really did understand where Cassandra was coming from… at the beginning. As her behavior leans more and more into unstable territory, I became appalled at her blatantly manipulative actions and how deeply mentally unhealthy she is, seemingly without the awareness of any of her family. It is impressive how realistically Cassandra’s descent is portrayed, but it made me feel queasy to read and downright angry on Judith’s behalf.

Where this novel sets itself apart is the writing. Without high stakes romance or pulse-pounding action, I enjoy hearing the way the author puts familiar feelings into new words. I savored the phrasing the author selected in this novel, really thinking about why she had chosen the words she had, even while I cringed at Cassandra’s actions. But if the writing is all I really have to love in a novel—-and that is the case with this one—I can only be glad it’s a short one.

Cassandra at the Wedding is probably one of the most triggering novels I read this year. If you’re sensitive about weddings, you may feel the same.