Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto (English) Hardcover Book

Description: Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto The aunties are back, fiercer than ever and ready to handle any catastrophe—even the mafia—in this delightful and hilarious sequel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties.Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now the day has arrived, and she cant wait to marry her college sweetheart, Nathan. Instead of having Ma and the aunts cater to her wedding, Meddy wants them to enjoy the day as guests. As a compromise, they find the perfect wedding vendors: a Chinese-Indonesian family-run company just like theirs. Meddy is hesitant at first, but she hits it off right away with the wedding photographer, Staphanie, who reminds Meddy of herself, down to the unfortunately misspelled name.Meddy realizes that is where their similarities end, however, when she overhears Staphanie talking about taking out a target. Horrified, Meddy cant believe Staphanie and her family arent just like her own, they are The Family—actual mafia, and theyre using Meddys wedding as a chance to conduct shady business. Her aunties and mother wont let Meddys wedding ceremony become a murder scene—over their dead bodies—and will do whatever it takes to save her special day, even if it means taking on the mafia. FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography Jesse Q. Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Indonesia, Singapore, and Oxford, and considers all three places her home. She has a Masters from Oxford University, but she has yet to figure out how to say that without sounding obnoxious. Jesse has forty-two first cousins and thirty aunties and uncles, many of whom live just down the road. When shes not writing, shes gaming with her husband (mostly first-person shooters), or making a mess in the kitchen with her two daughters. Review "Meddy Chan and her indomitable aunties are back in the hilarious Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto."—PopSugar"Sutanto deftly blends preposterous humor (British slang, mafia posers) with enduring devotion to prove there is no right or wrongway to being Asian."—Booklist"Charming, chaotic, and sometimes ridiculous, this tale will appeal to anyone who both adores and is embarrassed by their family, which is just about everyone."—Publishers Weekly"You cant help but get a kick out of the aunties outrageous stunts and their even bigger hearts. Keep your friends close and these four aunties closer."—Kirkus"Sutanto pushes you to the edge of your seat with this suspenseful rom-com that infuses humor and heritage."—USA Today"Theres a kind of magic to Sutantos writing… She tackles complicated issues of culture and family ties while also creating convoluted plotlines thatll make you squeal with laughter."—The Wellesley News"Heart, humor, and the mafia...this saga has it all!"—Womans World Review Quote "Meddy Chan and her indomitable aunties are back in the hilarious Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto."--PopSugar "Sutanto deftly blends preposterous humor (British slang, mafia posers) with enduring devotion to prove there is no right or wrongway to being Asian."-- Booklist "Charming, chaotic, and sometimes ridiculous, this tale will appeal to anyone who both adores and is embarrassed by their family, which is just about everyone."-- Publishers Weekly "You cant help but get a kick out of the aunties outrageous stunts and their even bigger hearts. Keep your friends close and these four aunties closer."-- Kirkus "Sutanto pushes you to the edge of your seat with this suspenseful rom-com that infuses humor and heritage."-- USA Today "Theres a kind of magic to Sutantos writing... She tackles complicated issues of culture and family ties while also creating convoluted plotlines thatll make you squeal with laughter."-- The Wellesley News "Heart, humor, and the mafia...this saga has it all!"-- Womans World Excerpt from Book 1 I try not to breathe as the last corset hook is yanked into place. "Ow, thats digging into my rib cage." Yenyen huffs a breath through his teeth and gives one last vicious tug, which forces a squeak out of me. "In the past, brides would break their ribs to fit into their wedding dresses," he says, and it strikes me that hes not saying it in a horrified tone, but rather a wistful one, which is somewhat worrying. "How do you feel?" I risk breathing again, and to my surprise, despite the torturous time I had getting stuffed into the dress, once Im in, its actually-dare I say it-comfortable. What sort of black magic is this? I couldve sworn I would hardly be able to take even the tiniest sip of air. I blink at him in surprise. "I can breathe in it." I cant quite see his eyes behind the round, purple-tinted sunglasses, but Im pretty sure I hear them roll. "Aduuuh, of course you can breathe in it, silly. Yenyens creations arent just beautiful, theyre also build for maximum comfort." I cant help but smile at him. Yenyen has a tendency to refer to himself in third person, which should sound mildly deranged but actually comes off as somewhat endearing. His real name is Yenzhen, but nobody is allowed to call him that. Within the Chinese tradition, its common to have phonetically repeated names as a pet name, and as Yenyen says, hes everybodys best friend, so we must call him Yenyen. "Now, are you ready to see it?" he says. Am I? My heart rate rises. My cheeks grow warm. This will be the forty-millionth dress Ive tried on. I swear Ive tried on every wedding dress L.A. has to offer, and each time, theres been something that Ma or my aunts didnt like. Over the last few months, as we exhausted every bridal boutique in greater Los Angeles, their comments have seared themselves onto my brain. "Sequin not shiny enough." "The lace look itchy, is making me itchy, is making you itchy?" "Body too slutty." (Second Aunt meant bodice. I think.) And so on and so forth, until Nathan announced that hed arranged for Indonesias premiere wedding dress designer to come to L.A. with custom-made dresses. Including-and this is the pice de rZsistance-dresses for the mother and aunts of the bride. I swallow and nod at Yenyen. "Im ready." "Okay, keep your eyes closed, though!" He gathers the skirt behind me as I turn slowly to face the floor-length mirror. After a minute of rustling and fussing, he says, "Open your eyes." I do as he says. My mouth drops open. "Yenyen-" My breath catches in my throat. There are no words to describe this dress. I know, in that moment, that this is it. This is The One. The bodice is swathed in the softest, most delicate lace that looks like it was sewn by fairies using spider silk. The skirt is a gorgeous frothy affair that somehow remains light enough for me to move around in. The entire thing hugs my body in all the right places and accentuates my curves in a way that is at once sexy and conservative. I feel as though Im wearing a cloud. Tears rush to my eyes. "Its perfect," I whisper. Yenyen waves me off, but its obvious hes fighting off a huge smile. "Shall we show your family?" Here we go. Deep breath. I dont know what Ill do if they say they dont like it. I steel myself, tightening my hands into fists. Ill fight for this dress. Ive acquiesced to their never-ending laundry list of complaints, despite many of the dresses Ive tried on being perfectly fine. This one isnt just perfectly fine, though. Its actually perfect. And I wont let them ruin it for me. I wont. I- "Ta-da!" Yenyen cries as he yanks open the bedroom door with a flourish. I grit my teeth, awaiting the cascade of complaints, but there are none. In fact, there is nobody around. The sofa and chairs arranged in a semicircle in Mas living room are empty. "Aduh," Yenyen cries, throwing up his hands. "Yenyen cant work like this. You know how important a good entrance is? This isnt just a dress; its an experience!" "Im so sorry. I dont know where they went. Maybe to the bathroom?" Im about to call out for them when footsteps thunder down the hallway. "Meddy? That you? Sudahan ya?" Ma calls out. "Yes, she is done!" Yenyen snaps. "Please take your seats so your daughter can show you her beautiful wedding gown." "Eh, tunggu! Meddy, you close your eyes!" "What?" Yenyens face is turning red. His whole moment is being ruined, poor guy. "Just go with it." I pat him on the shoulder. "Unbelievable!" he snaps, but takes control of himself and arranges my skirt and train so it cascades flawlessly across the hardwood floor. "Ready or not, ah?" Second Aunt shouts. "Yes." I close my eyes, half-dreading what Im about to see. Ma and the rest of my aunts come out of Mas bedroom giggling like schoolgirls. But before they get to the living room, Yenyen mutters, "This feels wrong," and rushes over to the hallway to see them. His gasp can be heard all the way over in Santa Monica. "Those are not the dresses Yenyen brought you!" "No, its the dresses Jonjon brought them," someone else says regally. Okay, not even the strongest-willed person can keep their eyes closed through this. I crack one eye open just as a tall, thin man wrapped in a tight-fitting snakeskin suit emerges from the kitchen. Yenyen gasps again. "Jonjon. How dare you!" "Whats going on?" I say. "Hello, nice to meet you. Im Jonjon, you might have heard of me? Voted most avant-garde fashion designer in Indonesia? I was featured in Tatler and Vogue?" He extends a hand dripping with various chunky rings. Unsure what to do, I shake it limply. "Your family asked me to design their gowns for your wedding." "But Yenyen designed their gowns!" Yenyen cries. Jonjon snorts. "Those lumpy brown sacks? I dont think so. These ladies deserve better. Ready to see them?" "Wait, wait!" Yenyen grabs a wool blanket off the couch and throws it around me. "Okay, when the time is right, throw off the blanket with a flourish, ya?" "Um. Okay." I hug the blanket tight around me and nod at Jonjon, half-dreading what Im about to see. "Behold!" Jonjon waves grandly, taps on his phone, and tinny pop music plays as, one by one, my family struts down the hallway. I turn around. And stare in shock-horror at the spectacle before me. Big Aunt, Second Aunt, Ma, and Fourth Aunt are all decked out in the most blinged-out, most aggressively purple dresses I have ever laid eyes on. Ever. How do I describe the particular shade of purple? Its as if flamingo pink and electric blue had a baby and then that baby snorted a line of coke and proceeded to punch you in the face. It is a lot of purple. And its a lot of different kinds of material. Im talking taffeta, and embroidery, and sequins-oh god, so many sequins. With every move my mother and aunts make, crystals and jewels flash and threaten to blind me. And thats not even the worst part. "What are those things on your heads?" My voice comes out hushed with horror, but Fourth Aunt must have misheard it as awe, because she simpers and flutters her fake lashes at me. "Arent these just gorgeous?" She pats the-the thing on her head gently. "Its called a fascinator. They are a must-have for English weddings. Were going to fit in so well." "With that thing on your head? I mean, what-I-but-" I sputter. "Aiya, you hate it!" Ma wails. She turns to her sisters. "I tell you, I say, Komodo dragon is not good choice, we should have gone with flamingo!" My mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. What does one say when faced with four women wearing ten-inch-tall Komodo dragons on their heads? Well, not actual live ones, at least. I think. "Theyre not real, are they?" I dont know that Id be able to forgive my family if they were. At this, Jonjon smiles smugly. "They look real, dont they? I understand why youd think they are; the craftsmanship is flawless, isnt it?" Again, no words come. The dragons are in various positions, each one weirder than the last, but also somehow compatible with each womans personality. Big Aunts dragon is standing on its two hind legs, the front ones akimbo, like an Asian auntie who disapproves of your life choices. Second Aunts dragon is-of course-stretched into some bizarre Tai Chi pose. Mas is sitting down, primly sipping tea. Yes, there is an actual tiny teacup in its paws. And Fourth Aunts is doing karaoke. I turn to Yenyen. Maybe he can play bad cop for me and shoot this whole ridiculous getup down in flames. Like me, hes also staring open-mouthed at their fascinators. He extends an arm and touches Fourth Aunts dragon gingerly as though expecting it to come to life and take a chunk out of his hand. "Amazing," he says. I sidle over to him and whisper, "Dont you mean ridiculous?" His gaze flicks over to me and I see belatedly that the expression hes wearing isnt so much shock as it is wonderment. "Look at the craftsmanship. The scales, those eyes!" "You mean how they follow you around the room?" I cant help but shudder. "Its called the Mona Lisa effect," Yenyen says. My mother and aunts preen. "You do realize hes calling the dragons Mona Lisa, not you," I point out. Which is probably Details ISBN0593440765 Author Jesse Q. Sutanto Pages 304 Language English Year 2022 ISBN-10 0593440765 ISBN-13 9780593440766 Format Hardcover Publication Date 2022-03-29 Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2022-03-29 NZ Release Date 2022-03-29 US Release Date 2022-03-29 UK Release Date 2022-03-29 Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc Imprint Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S. DEWEY 823.92 Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:134962120;

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