The Unwedding

References to mystery novels and films appear throughout The Unwedding as a nod to the extensive cultural history and literary legacy to which the novel belongs. The protagonist’s name, Ellery, points to the work of American mystery authors Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, who co-wrote novels about an amateur sleuth named Ellery Queen under the pen name Ellery Queen. At various moments in Condie’s narrative, Ellery herself refers to the idea that she is a character in a mystery novel. After Catherine admits her role in Ben’s death, Ellery feels reluctant to leave her alone, sensing that “now they [have] come to the point in the murder mystery where, if you [leave] the murderer alone, they [kill] themselves out of guilt” (289). Ravi points directly to the subgenre of closed circle mysteries by telling the others that “it’s a good thing we’re all cooped up here together […] for murder solving purposes” (88). When Nina questions him, Ravi again mentions mystery media, asking, “don’t you read anything? […] have you ever watched a murder mystery?” (90). Later, his familiarity with mystery media leads him to accurately predict coming events: “there’s never one body […] Maybe someone else saw something and now they have to die” (90).