Four Aunties and a Wedding

February 1, 2022
As the photographer for the extended Chan clan's wedding business, Meddelin (a well-intentioned approximation of Madeleine) is intimately familiar with all manner of nuptial celebrations, even when they include accidental murder, as witnessed in Dial A for Aunties (2021), Sutanto's rollicking debut, which introduced Big Aunt, Second Aunt, (Meddy's) Ma, and Fourth Aunt. This time, Meddy is finally the bride, about to marry beloved Nathan in a fairytale affair at Oxford, his alma mater. Sort-of distant relatives, led by Staphanie, with whom Meddy quickly bonds over their "unfortunately spelled" monikers, have meticulously planned the destination events, which, once again, involve the threat of death. This time, Meddy and the aunties hope to avoid murder at all costs. In her opening author's note, Indonesian-Chinese-Singaporean Sutanto reveals she "wanted to tackle the subject of the Asian diaspora" in her aunties sequel. Inspired by the initially awkward clashes experienced between her sprawling family and her hubby's half-Asian, half-English relatives, Sutanto deftly blends preposterous humor (British slang, mafia posers) with enduring devotion to prove "there is no right or wrong way to 'being Asian.'"

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February 14, 2022
In Sutanto’s sweet, hilarious second Aunties mystery (after 2021’s Dial A for Aunties), Meddy Chan, who’s Chinese Indonesian, and Nathan, who’s half English and half Chinese, are getting married at an over-the-top Chinese-Indonesian destination wedding at Christ Church College in Oxford. As much as Meddy’s looking forward to her nuptials, the first meeting between Big Aunt, Second Aunt, Ma, and Fourth Aunt, her endearing but totally crazy family, and Nathan’s prim parents is a humiliating disaster. Fortunately, the wedding itself is in the capable hands of Meddy’s new friend, Staphanie Tanuwijaya, a fellow Chinese Indonesian, whose family-run business is packed with relatives as eccentric as Meddy’s. But things go spectacularly awry when Meddy overhears a phone call and realizes Staphanie’s family are Indonesian mafia planning to take out one of the wedding guests. But the mafia doesn’t reckon with the Aunties, who have no boundaries when it comes to protecting their Meddy. Charming, chaotic, and sometimes ridiculous, this tale will appeal to anyone who both adores and is embarrassed by their family, which is just about everyone. Agent: Katelyn Detweiler, Jill Grinberg Literary.