Dial A for Aunties

“I can't believe my aunts' rivalry with each other is jeopardizing us getting away with murder.”

Welcome to this dark, hilarious mash-up of Weekend at Bernie's, Crazy Rich Asians, and maybe a little Arsenic and Old Lace, in which our heroine Meddy Chan's very relatable desire to gain some independence from her well-meaning but overbearing mother and Aunties is combined with their macabre efforts to hide and/or dispose of the body of the guy she accidentally killed. All of this as they are coordinating the Indo-Chinese wedding of the century, which is taking place at a luxury hotel owned by the heroine's one true love who she walked away from five years ago.

Jesse Q. Sutanto does an amazing job of balancing multiple moving parts and plot twists, while managing genuine emotion around Meddy's complex relationship with her distaff family members (the love story, however, is mostly inert due to a perfectly boring hero). Each of the Aunties get their chance to shine, and they inspire as much admiration as they do laughs. I am not surprised that the book is already been optioned as a Netflix film; its combination of farce, nonstop action, romance and a touch of violence should be a perfect match for the medium.

Highly recommended, and perfect summer beach reading.