She’s too savvy to believe it, exactly, but then lives out her version of the curse when she breaks up with her college boyfriend Nathan before graduation. Meddy has grown up knowing all about the family curse, where the men in their family either leaving or dying in unlucky circumstances. These aunties deserve all our applause, and best of all, Meddy also eventually comes into her own and discovers her inner Asian auntie, which just about rounds all five women into a kickass, formidable team. The novel begins with the burning question - will Meddy and her aunties get away with murder? But the more you see them in action, the more confident you become in their ability to outsmart, well, everyone else. Their attempts to get the body back before their crime is discovered are hilarious! It’s one madcap caper after another, with sibling rivalry going head to head with common sense (guess which wins?), and the aunties’ various schemes getting ever more absurd as the wedding day unfolds.

Except that Big Aunt oversleeps, and the cooler with the body is sent to the wedding’s island venue along with the other coolers that hold the actual cake. To avoid bad luck for the bride and groom, Meddy and her aunts decide to hide the body in one of Big Aunt’s coolers, and wait till the wedding is over before burying it. The five women run a wedding business - “Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!” Big Aunt bakes the wedding cake, Second Aunt does the hair and makeup, Meddy’s mom does the flowers, Fourth Aunt provides the entertainment, and Meddy is the photographer. Except that it’s bad luck to hold a funeral before the wedding, and the blind date happens on the eve of a major wedding that the family will be attending. Meddy accidentally kills him in self-defence, and her mom and aunties leap to help her dispose of the body. It all begins with Meddy’s mom sets her up on a blind date, who turns out to be a handsy a-hole. Meddy Chan and her aunties are all ride-or-die for each other, and as odd as it may be to think about a book with a murderous cover-up, this is a really sweet and heartwarming family novel. Beyond the humour, Dial A For Aunties is also very much full of heart. It’s absolutely, ridiculously absurd, so leave your disbelief at the door, and turn yourself over completely to enjoying the ride. This book was an absolute delight, from page one all the way to the very end. Sutanto asks the all-important question: Would your aunties cover up a(n accidental) murder for you? We all know Asian aunties are awesome, and in Dial A For Aunties, Jesse Q.

A for aunties