To the Wedding (Magill Book Reviews)

At a glance:

John Berger’s short novel deals with a major social problem through the medium of the characters he creates. Ninon, the central figure, is a young Frenchwoman who must face the grim reality that she will be a victim of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Her fiance Gino, a young Italian salesman, and her parents, must find their own ways to come to terms with Ninon’s fate. The novel follows her parents—Jean Ferrero and Zdena, a Czech—as they prepare to go to the wedding, and it also follows Ninon’s story of her life.

Ninon tells Gino to have himself tested; when the result is negative, she declares that she will not marry him. He strongly wishes to go through with the marriage, and eventually, with the urging of her friend Marella, Ninon agrees to go through with the ceremony, stipulating conditions that will protect Gino from infection. While the outside world views Ninon with horror, her family and friends as well as physicians who deal with her are kind and supportive. The wedding itself and the party which follows are a celebration of life.

The final scenes show that party but also show, through one of the narrators, a blind Greek salesman of good-luck charms, the future which Ninon is facing, including increasing illness, weakness and suffering. Gino will do what he can to relieve that suffering, but he must also try to deal with his own pain at what Ninon will be going through. These are harrowing scenes, but Berger manages with great skill to convey a strong sense of the value of human life and the joy it can contain.

Sources for Further Study

Booklist. XCI, May 1, 1995, p. 1550.

Boston Globe. June 7, 1995, p. 86.

Kirkus Reviews. LXIII, March 1, 1995, p. 246.

Library Journal. CXX, May 1, 1995, p. 129.

Los Angeles Times Book Review. July 16, 1995, p. 6.

The New York Times Book Review. C, June 4, 1995, p. 11.

The New Yorker. LXXI, September 25, 1995, p. 106.

Publishers Weekly. CCXLII, March 6, 1995, p. 56.

The Times Literary Supplement. September 29, 1995, p. 24.

The Washington Post Book World. XXV, July 23, 1995, p. 6.