The Member of the Wedding (1946)
By Carson McCullers

The novel that became an award-winning play and a major motion picture and that has charmed generations of readers, Carson McCullers's classic The Member of the Wedding tells the story of the inimitable 12-year-old Frankie, who is utterly, hopelessly bored with life until she hears about her older brother's wedding. Bolstered by lively conversations with her house servant, Berenice, and her 6-year-old male cousin—not to mention her own unbridled imagination—Frankie takes on an overly active role in the wedding. She hopes even to go, uninvited, on the honeymoon, so deep is her desire to be the member of something larger, more accepting than herself. The Member of the Weddings showcases McCullers at her most sensitive, astute, and lasting best.