CALIBA’s Golden Poppy Book Awards Finalist
Named one of Book Riot and The New York Post's Most Anticipated Beach Reads of 2023
Named one of a Zibby Owen's Most Anticipated Spring and Summer Books
"Hilarious!"
—Entertainment Weekly, Named a Best New Book to Take on Your Summer Vacation
“This is an immersive novel that celebrates love of all kinds — between a parent and child, and between two soulmates — and how a beautiful wedding can bring them all together.”
—Shondaland
“Uproarious...Pack this must-read in your bag for any weddings of your own this summer; the laughter just might keep things from seeming so tough.”
—Town & Country
“Lane's latest is even more chaotic than his debut—in a good way—with a multitude of wild yet fully fleshed out characters and a plot that never lets up. Hilarious moments blend perfectly with genuine emotional arcs.”
—Booklist
“My heart grew three sizes reading Big Gay Wedding. This charming book had me snorting unattractively, laughing uncontrollably, and ugly crying in between. A poignant delight from start to finish. Read it, damn it! Just read it!”
—Bianca Marais, bestselling author of The Witches of Moonshyne Manor
“Big Gay Wedding is a quirky family story packed with hilarious and tender moments. Lovers of Schitt’s Creek will delight in Byron Lane’s cast of lovable misfits as they band together to plan a big gay wedding, the first in a Southern town.”
—Kate Russo, author of Super Host
“Filled with charming characters, tenacious empathy, and so much heart, Big Gay Wedding is an event you’ll wish you could attend in person.”
—Allison Larkin, author of The People We Keep
“Reading Byron Lane’s warm and hysterical new novel made me feel like I hit the wedding guest jackpot and got seated at the very best table, surrounded by gloriously weird and funny guests I’ll remember long after the grooms have been waved off.”
—Bobby Finger, author of The Old Place
“An intoxicating mix of comedy, romance, and familial drama, that goes down like a delicious Aperol Spritz. But Big Gay Wedding is more than simply a bubbly concoction - it brims with life, with humor, and a tenderness that will stay with you long after you finish the final page.”
—Jonathan Parks-Ramage, author of Yes, Daddy
2023-03-14
In rural Louisiana, a conservative Christian mom tries to get her mind around hosting the fabulous nuptials required by her son’s marriage.
It’s a long way from New Orleans to the Polite Society Ranch, where Chrissy Durang is getting through one more school bus full of little field trippers as she awaits the arrival of her adored son, Barnett, who’s returning, she’s sure, to take the reins of the old homestead. But to her unhappy surprise, Barnett is not coming to assume responsibility for the blind chicken, the alpaca with alopecia, and the beloved dying goat, Elaine (who will be buried near her late compadres, Seinfeld, Kramer, and George). Instead, he’s coming to announce that he’s getting married, and he has fiance Ezra on his arm. The story spirals from there in two directions. In the hilarious one, Ezra’s mother, Victoria, “the alcoholic’s alcoholic, the silver-tongued complainer who only flies first-class,” and event-planner sister, Nichole, show up to organize the blessed event, planning to transform the farm into “a modern gay wonderland” with a gazebo, a brigade of fireflies, rainbow-sashed valet parkers, and more—though no separate chef for the animals, Nichole pouts, “because that guy turned out to be a fictional character from a New Yorker article I misread.” In a more serious aspect of the plot, highlighted by chapter headings that give the “Countdown to Damnation,” rigid Chrissy is unable to accept her son’s sexuality, his partner, or his plans—until finally, the virulent homophobia of her neighbors awakens a protective response. Actually, the opening of Chrissy’s mind begins when she eats several foil-wrapped packages of chocolate she finds in Ezra’s luggage that turn out to be infused with magic mushrooms. Lane's sophomore effort is over-the-top in so many clashing ways—like Schitt’s Creek meets The Laramie Project—but simpatico readers will likely throw reservations to the wind and go all in.
Come for the Applebee’s-sponsored rehearsal dinner and stay for the extended journey of a goat into the next life.