Book Review: *Mating Rituals of the North American WASP* by Lauren Lipton

Back of the book blurb:  After arguing with her live-in boyfriend about his inability to commit, Peggy Adams flies to a friend’s bachelorette party in Las Vegas, and wakes up next to a man she can’t remember.  Hung-over and miserable, she sneaks out of the sleeping man’s hotel room and returns home to New York, where her boyfriend apologizes for the fight and gives her a Tiffany box containing a pre-engagement ring.  Not what she expected, but close enough!  The next day she receives a phone call from the Las Vegas one-night stand, Luke, claiming she’s already married to him–and he faxes her the license for proof!  Both are ready for an annulment, until Peggy arrives in quaint New Nineveh, CT, where Luke cares for his Great Aunt, and the old woman makes Peggy an offer she can’t refuse.

She is Too Fond of Books’ review:  You know the saying, life’s about the journey, not the destination?  I was reminded of that while reading Mating Rituals of the North American WASP.  I think most readers could predict the final pages of the book with accuracy, but the path Lauren Lipton took to get us there was delightful and unexpected.

Yes, this is women’s fiction (dare I say, chick lit), a genre I don’t read often.  But when I say that I could imagine this book being made into a movie, I mean it as a great compliment to the author.  The book gives a fresh spin to an old story, with lots of asides to keep it interesting.

Lipton’s description of Luke and his family and friends in rural Connecticut, and the New Yorkers who have weekend homes there, are right on target.  I was nodding my head in agreement at the contrast of “new money” city people and the established WASP community in the fictional town of New Nineveh in Litchfield county.  We lived for seven years in an area of Connecticut that was subject to the tension of “the way things have always been” versus supposed “progress.”  It’s a real issue that many of these communities are forced to manage, and Lipton addresses is straight on, with a touch of humor.

Likewise, her descriptions of the old-money WASP society may seem stereotypical, but there’s more than a grain of truth in them.  From the dowager who reuses a teabag two to three times, to the “gourmet” peanut butter and bacon on a Ritz cracker served as an appetizer, I’ve seen these people … they really exist!  The touches of humor make a very fun read of this novel.

Two different scorecards jumped out at me while reading Mating Rituals.  The first is when one of Luke’s friend’s asks about Peggy, “Is she us?”:

The phrase was shorthand; no explanation was necessary.  Hubbard meant, Did Peggy measure up to the coded list of criteria that determined whether a girlfriend of wife was “our kind” – a list compiled within, Luke imagined, five minutes of the Pilgrims stepping onto Plymouth Rock, dubbing themselves America’s ruling class, and mixing themselves a congratulatory round of gin and tonics.  It took into account family background, appearance, alma mater, occupation, hobbies, and behavior, plus scores of other, subtler cues someone not “us” would never think to look for – participation in the right childhood etiquette classes; a family beach key at Martha’s Vineyard.  …

The second scorecard was one Peggy and her girlfriend Bex used when assessing New York City bachelors:

How quickly her dating days were coming back to her, when she and Bex had used the neck-nails-shoes system to rate men. [He] had earned a point for his nails already: They were neither bitten nor dirty nor manicured.  His shoes were marginal: They weren’t run down at the heels, but they were motorcycle boots – pretentious, Peggy thought, unless you were actually riding a motorcycle.  Half a point.  That left his neck: Was it properly groomed or slovenly and unshaven?  She leaned over the table to get a look.

I don’t want to give away the stops that comprise the journey in Mating Rituals of the North American WASP.  Let’s just say that it’s a fun trip that examines, with tongue-in-cheek, several contemporary issues, wrapped in the context of Peggy and Luke’s sham marriage.  How these issues are resolved — or not — is part of the ride; buckle up!

If you’d like a peek at Mating Rituals, you can find the first chapter here.  Lauren Lipton has posted information about her upcoming readings and events, and has an active blog.  She is also the author of It’s About Your Husband.