New York Review of Books Review

To Love and to Cherish Tm the one you want to sit next to when things are dull," says Dorothea Benton Frank, whose new novel, "By Invitation Only," debuts at No. 4 this week. "My old sweet friend Pat Conroy once said to me, you know, you're funny on the page," she recalls. "And I said, yes, I am. I know there are those who say humor diminishes the literary value of a story, but I think humor is desperately needed in every corner of this world. Desperately. Humor is a mighty powerful tool when correctly applied." Frank's wit permeates her social media (her Facebook bio says she's been "married for a thousand years to a saint whose name is Peter, not to be confused with the biblical one, with whom I have two spectacular children - Victoria and William, not to be confused with the queen or the conqueror") and infuses "By Invitation Only," a Southern comedy of manners about the marriage of a wealthy young woman from Chicago and the son of a South Carolina farmer. Her own family inspired the novel - in a way. "My two children married splendid people over the last three years and all sides couldn't be happier," Frank says. "But what if they had not been so wise? Our weddings were wonderful. But what if they had been nightmares? I started thinking of all the many things that could've gone wrong. And what about the courage it takes to marry someone outside your world? I think my main characters - Shelby and Frederick - were so in love they barely noticed the differences in their backgrounds. But the mother of the groom and the mother of the bride did, and that's when the fun began." Frank enjoys skewering "social irritants," especially "pretentious women who think they're Lady Astor because their husbands make a ton of money." Characters like that always get their just deserts in her novels, including this one: "I gave it to the mother of the bride rather nicely, I thought." "By Invitation Only," like many of her other novels, is partially set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. "It would be impossible, I think, to write without my deep affection for this place seeping through," Frank says of the place that her family has called home for 300 years. "We have fought in every war, farmed the land, nursed the sick and infirm, taught school and sold groceries. Everywhere I turn there is a reminder of the bravery and commitment of my ancestors." She adds, "I keep coming back here to renew my faith in humanity and in God. And to remind myself what really matters." Tm the one you want to sit next to when things are dull/