Five Weddings by Kevin Maloney

Mask on. Mask off.

It was only a matter of time before I stumbled across an author writing about the COVID-19 pandemic, which upon reflection, often feels like a surreal fever dream. Did that really happen? Yes. Yes it did. And it was five years ago.

What a wild time and it all feels like a total blur.

Five Weddings by Kevin Maloney immediately struck a personal chord with me, since my wife and I somehow found ourselves trapped in a seemingly endless loop of pandemic-era nuptials. Between 2020 and 2022, we must have attended at least nine weddings. It wasn't a wedding season but more like a wedding era. 

With social restrictions constantly shifting, many couples found themselves throwing not just one wedding, but two, three, or even more—each one a slightly more chaotic attempt at celebrating with loved ones. Maloney takes this pandemic-era absurdity and spins it into a an effective parody. The story doesn’t try to be deeply profound, but it absolutely nails the ridiculousness of the times, delivering plenty of sharp, well-timed laughs along the way.

From our collective fixation on scrubbing down groceries like we were handling radioactive waste to the ever-changing "rules" of social gatherings, the humor is fast-paced, delightfully zany, and perfectly attuned to the bizarre reality we all lived through. The story quickly becomes more absurd as the consecutive weddings occur. Besides, how can you not love a story where a cat officiates the couple’s fifth wedding while they are lounging in bed watching The Bachelorette? At this stage, the narrative fully embraces the irrational yet still remains firmly anchored in the emotional reality of the characters.

Kevin Maloney is a new discovery for me, and his unique storytelling has piqued my curiosity. I'm eager to explore more of his work and see how his other writings compare to this one.

You can read this story HERE.