53 pages • 1-hour read
Jason RekulakA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Frank is a 52-year-old UPS driver who has spent his entire adult life working for the delivery company. He raised his daughter single-handedly after his wife, Colleen, passed away when their child was ten. Frank takes immense pride in his working-class background, his manual labor skills, and the financial stability his career provides. As he prepares to attend a lavish wedding at a private estate, he feels out of place and grows increasingly suspicious of his future son-in-law.
Father of Maggie
Widower of Colleen
Brother of Tammy
Father-in-law-to-be of Aidan Gardner
Guest of Errol Gardner
Caretaker of Abigail
Friend of Vicky
Maggie is Frank's only child, a driven professional working for a highly profitable Cambridge startup called Capaciti. She lives in a Boston penthouse and projects a polished, successful image. Highly class-conscious, she is embarrassed by her working-class upbringing and eager to distance herself from her father's lifestyle as she prepares to marry into a family of extreme wealth.
Daughter of Frank Szatowski
Fiancée of Aidan Gardner
Daughter of Colleen
Niece of Tammy
Employee of Errol Gardner
Aidan is an artist and part-time college instructor who paints portraits of everyday, working-class people. Despite his access to the Gardner family fortune, he appears nervous, introverted, and thoroughly disconnected from his wedding preparations. He drinks heavily during early family meetings and spends much of the weekend avoiding the guests.
Fiancé of Maggie
Son of Errol Gardner
Son of Catherine Gardner
Son-in-law-to-be of Frank Szatowski
Former Boyfriend of Dawn Taggart
Friend of Gwendolyn
Errol is the CEO of Capaciti, a highly successful technology company focused on battery development. He is a man of massive wealth and far-reaching influence, supporting numerous family members financially. He hosts the wedding at his private retreat, Osprey Cove, and projects an aura of absolute control and entitlement.
Husband of Catherine Gardner
Father of Aidan Gardner
Employer of Maggie
Host to Frank Szatowski
Friend and Client of Gerry Levinson
Employer of Hugo
Tammy is Frank's sister, a home healthcare worker who spends her life caring for others. She acts as a short-term emergency placement provider in the state foster care system. Pragmatic and observant, she lacks Frank's blind spots regarding family members and views situations with a realistic, grounded perspective.
Catherine is Aidan's mother and Errol's wife. Raised in an environment of extreme privilege involving cotillions and debutante balls, she now copes with the miseries of her marriage through heavy alcohol use. She spends the wedding weekend secluded in her lodge, claiming illness to avoid the festivities.
Gerry is the Gardner family's attorney and one of the top litigators in New England. He is a close associate of Errol who helps manage the family's private affairs and uses his legal authority to dismiss outside suspicions. He attends the wedding with his much younger wife.
Attorney of Errol Gardner
Acquaintance of Frank Szatowski
Vicky is Frank's hairdresser and a trusted friend. She has endured the tragedy of losing a daughter to addiction, which gives her a nuanced understanding of parenting. She acts as a sounding board for Frank, offering him an objective perspective on his anxieties regarding Maggie.
Friend of Frank Szatowski
Hugo is the caretaker and groundskeeper at the Gardners' summer camp property. He is a vigilant enforcer of the family's rules, utilizing technology like keyless Bluetooth locks to monitor the estate. He prevents guests from leaving freely and handles disturbances with unquestioning loyalty to his employers.
Employee of Errol Gardner
Overseer of Frank Szatowski
Abigail is a young girl currently fostered by Tammy. She comes from a background of housing insecurity and brings a chaotic energy to the wedding trip, dealing with head lice and climbing trees. She is talkative and inquisitive, pressing the adults with constant questions about the wealth on display.
Foster Daughter of Tammy
Ward of Frank Szatowski
Dawn is a young elementary school teacher whose recent disappearance looms over the wedding. Her case was investigated by local police but quickly dismissed, leaving her working-class family desperate for answers regarding her connection to the Gardners.
Niece of Brody Taggart
Former Girlfriend of Aidan Gardner
Brody is Dawn's uncle, a distressed local resident who refuses to let his niece's disappearance be forgotten. He aggressively questions anyone connected to the Gardner family and accuses area law enforcement of covering up the truth due to financial incentives.
Uncle of Dawn Taggart
Informant to Frank Szatowski
Gwendolyn is a red-haired wedding guest and an old school friend of Aidan's. She is visibly uncomfortable at the opulent retreat and holds tense, secretive conversations with Aidan near his art studio.
Friend of Aidan Gardner
Acquaintance of Frank Szatowski