Dorothy Baker, a Californian writer, wrote only a handful of novels and plays, but I happened to stumble upon her 1972 novel Cassandra at the Wedding, and it was both brilliant and highly entertaining. The novel follows one weekend in the lives of two sisters, twins, who are twenty four years old. Cassandra, who lives in Berkeley and is working on her thesis, drives to the San Joaquin valley to her family's ranch to attend her sister Judith's wedding. Familial antics ensue, and Baker infuses equal parts wit and tenderness into this very readable book. Here is part of one of the conversations between the two sisters, that I just loved:
"Me? You remember the place we called from when you forgot your vaccination certificate?"
"You're there?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. It's all full of waltzing mosquitos and I just fell off a ladder."
"What?" she said, quite a lot like granny. Concerned. I loved the sound of it. Loved it.
"Also," I said, "one of my ears has been sluiced."
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