I’m so glad I gave in to my FoMO. I fully expected ‘thriller filler’ based on that synopsis, but this was almost a low-key parody of thriller filler. I loved the intrigue and realism without idealism. Also, streaming dramedy miniseries asap pls 🤩. 

 

Energy: Responsive. Grounded. Astute. 

 

🐩 Tail Wags Refreshing use of thriller tropes (no drawn-out withholding or convoluted action scenes). Side-eyeing all the characters at some point. The dynamic between the main character and his sister. Abigail. Balance of humour and tension. Low key clues sprinkled throughout. Pacing. Making predictions (some wrong, some spot-on). Unsettling scenes (the cereal and milk…wtf 🤢). Believable dialogue and behaviour. Admittedly unsatisfying, but all too real ending that felt like a statement on the struggle it is for parents to see their kids as they truly are. The contrast between the Deeply Empathetic One and the Disaffected Psychopathic One.

 

Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in Hopps Ferry, New Hampshire; Boston, Massachusetts; and Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA

Perspective: A fifty-something UPS driver and parent estranged from their adult daughter the past three years gets an unexpected invite back into their life and to attend their surprise wedding.

Timeline: Current (2020s?) or not too distant future / alt universe. ☀️ Summer.

🔥 Fuel: Why was our main character estranged from his daughter? Can we trust his interpretation of events? Is he too overprotective, or does he intuit his daughter needs protecting? How will the wedding go? Where is the missing person and what happened to them? Why can’t he meet the mother of his son-in-law? 

📖 Cred: Realistic

 

Lady Evelyn’s Complete Guide to Wedding Etiquette. UPS. Daddy long legs. Mineral spirits, turpentine, linseed oil. Whiskey. Jazz music. Milk and cereal. Heatwave. 

 

Content Heads-Up: Loss of parent (as preteen). Brain aneurysm (very brief mention). War (1990s, Veteran, brief recalls). Drug abuse, overdose (implied, discussed). Cannabis (edibles, recreational). Microdosing. Intoxication. Vomit. Spiders. Fire (building, fatal; off page). First responder fatality (off page mention). Physical violence (brief on page). Sexual content (brief on page; consenting). Infidelity. Cover-ups, destroying evidence. Murder. Personality disorder. Corruption. Blackmail (off page mention). Suicide (brief but graphic, on page). Car crash (injuries). Human rights violations (very brief mention).

 

Rep: American. Congolese peripheral character. Cis. Hetero. Polish ancestry. Foster parent.

 

📚 Format: Library Hardcover