Virginia Pye presents "Marriage and Other Monuments"

Thu Feb 26 2026 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm UTC-05:00

Wellesley Books | Wellesley

Wellesley Books
Publisher/HostWellesley Books
Virginia Pye presents "Marriage and Other Monuments"
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The author of "River of Dust", "Dreams of the Red Phoenix", and "The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann" joins us to discuss her new novel.
About this Event

If you would prefer to buy your ticket by phone, you may call Wellesley Books at 781-431-1160.

About ticketing:

  • Admission to the event is $5.
  • To purchase the book with your admission, choose Admission + Book and we will waive your admission fee.
  • If you decide to purchase the book at the event, we will discount your book purchase by $5.

Please note that you must purchase your copy of the book from Wellesley Books in order to have the author sign it at the event.

Please also note that we cannot issue ticket refunds within 48 hours of the event.

Lastly, please be aware of our new parking system for the lot behind the store. Parking is free, but you must check in with Vend Park. We recommend doing this before you leave for the event.


ABOUT THE BOOK

"A suspenseful family drama with powerful themes of social justice." -Bruce Holsinger, author of Culpability, an Oprah Book Club pick

In the summer of 2020, social justice protests and the removal of Confederate monuments rock the city of Richmond, Virginia, as the marriages of two estranged sisters implode.

When Cynthia's husband, Bobby, can no longer hide his dire financial situation, their union finally ruptures. Melissa, her sister, has dedicated herself so fully to racial justice activism that she becomes alienated from her own Black husband.

As the summer heats up and their marriages veer in opposite directions, the sisters have no choice but to turn to one another. Meanwhile, their husbands conspire in a racial reckoning that their ancestors-one old Virginia White, the other old Virginia Black-would never have dreamed of.

When secrets within marriage erode trust, all couples must decide what's more important: being true to who they are as individuals or holding on to an illusion of the past.

Marriage and Other Monuments is a must-read multigenerational drama set against a tumultuous time of racial tension in the South.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Virginia Pye is the author of four award-winning books of fiction, including two post-colonial historical novels set in China, River of Dust and Dreams of the Red Phoenix, the short story collection, Shelf Life of Happiness, and her previous novel, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann, a love story to writers and readers set in Gilded Age Boston. Virginia's essays have appeared in The New York Times, Literary Hub, Publishers Weekly, Writer's Digest, and elsewhere. She has taught writing at New York University and the University of Pennsylvania, and, most recently, at Grub Street in Boston. Virginia is the fiction editor of the literary journal Pangyrus, and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

(Author Photo by Margaret Lampert)

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Wellesley Books, 82 Central Street, Wellesley, United States

Tickets

USD 0.00 to USD 34.47

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