Short Story Sunday: The Marriage Test by Suzanne Redfearn
The Marriage Test
Author: Suzanne Redfearn
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Published: November 23, 2021
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Date Read: November 23, 2021
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
From the bestselling author of In an Instant comes a heartfelt short story about one couple’s journey to discover if there really is a secret ingredient to happily ever after before their upcoming holiday wedding.
When Ava Barnes’s boyfriend, Justin, proposes after a whirlwind romance, the young couple embarks on a quest that will test their love. For generations, engaged couples in Ava’s family have traveled into the Everglades to retrieve the egg of the magnificent frigate bird in order to bake it into a marriage cake. Those who succeed live happily ever after, while those who fail are destined for heartbreak. With Ava’s beloved grandmother gravely ill, never has the marriage tradition meant so much. Ava’s dream is to pass the test so her grandmother can attend Ava’s holiday wedding to the man she loves.
So Ava, Justin, and their best friend Walton as a witness set off on a remarkable adventure that will challenge the true depth of their character and devotion. An emotional, heartrending journey of self-discovery, The Marriage Test turns out to be far more than any of them imagined.
Is there any test more challenging than a test of love?
Jessica’s Review:
The Marriage Test is a novella that takes place in December, but that is all in regards to a ‘holiday’ story. Justin proposes to Ava after a short romance. Eva’s family has a long-standing tradition where engaged couples must go on a ‘quest’ of sorts to the Florida Everglades to retrieve a frigate bird’s egg and then they make their marriage cake (not their wedding cake). For generations, the couples who have succeeded have had long happy marriage while the couples who do not complete the quest or fail to attempt the quest at all fail at their marriage, which includes Ava’s parents. And Ava is determined to complete this quest.
Ava and Justin prepare for their quest along with their friend Walton (who does not agree with the relationship) as a witness to the events. We get to go into the Everglades with the trio and have a bit of an adventure. For me, I was expecting more of the quest than what we got, so it was a little bit of a let down for me, but there is a reason to this. The shortness of the quest and other signs point to you knowing how this story should go.
This short story is a complete story and optimistic at the end. I really enjoyed the idea of couples going on a quest to prove their upcoming marriage along with the baking of the marriage cake. This short story shows how everything that is supposed to happen does.
Karissa Vacker narrates the audiobook. She is a narrator I enjoy, so her narrating the story was a pleasant surprise for me. If you enjoy short stories that have a little bit of an adventure and romance, The Marriage Test will be one for you to read!