The Wishing Tree

Marybeth Whalen's new novel, The Wishing Tree, is about two sisters. Shea, the younger daughter, is involved in the excitement of a wedding. Ivy, her older sister, has just discovered that her husband cheated on her, and is dealing with disappointment and heartache. The older daughter also is dealing with the fact that when she married several years earlier, she did not have the beautiful wedding her sister is having. Ivy has been estranged from her mother and sister and is concerned about going back to be with them while she decides what to do about her marriage.

The Wishing Tree is a wedding custom in their family, where people write their good wishes on notes and attach them to an artificial tree which is a centerpiece during the wedding dinner.

As Marybeth writes about these two sisters and the people they know, she delves deeply into their characters. The reader comes to know them, their idiosyncrasies and their friends and acquaintances as the pages turn faster and faster. This is a story told in modern times, with email and Tweets as Ivy's husband, Elliott, tries to get in touch with her to present his side of the story.

As Ivy prepares the Wishing Tree for her sister, she examines her own dreams and must decide what she wants for her life.