A Most Blessed and Auspicious Occasion: from Someone Who Will Love You in all Your Damaged Glory

by Raphael Bob-Waksberg

In this fabulously offbeat story about love, a short story from Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory, a young engaged couple is forced to deal with interfering relatives dictating the appropriate number of ritual goat sacrifices for their wedding. As they navigate unaffordable Promise Eggs and traditional Shrieking Choruses, the betrothed start to question what it means to have a wedding—and what it will mean to be married to each other. A Vintage Short.

Genres: Short Stories

Kindle Edition

Published October 11, 2022

About the author

Raphael Matthew Bob-Waksberg is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, and voice actor. He is known as the creator and showrunner of the animated comedy series BoJack Horseman. He is also an executive producer on the animated series Tuca & Bertie.

Reviews

[plutosbigteeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this story SO. FUCKING. MUCH. it deserves more than 5 stars, nothing will ever get me in such a good mood as this does. i’m never not laughing while reading it which never happens and i just love it all, the goats, the shrieking chorus, nikki and clarissa and sabrina the person of sales, the grand priest kenny sorgenfrei and deb who has a kid with real silly bones and aunt estelle who, goddamit, finished that mf poem.

[Zane Aubie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it cheating to log short stories on Good Reads? If so, then I'm a proud cheater because there's no way in Hell I'm not loudly announcing that I loved this story.

I don't read romance. I'm such a slow reader that I have to wisely choose which stories appear to be worthy of my time, and romance typically doesn't make the cut (Funny enough, some of my favourite movies are highly romantic, but that's a separate issue).

That being said, there's no denying that this story is something special. If it hadn't been for the author creating one of my favourite shows of all time, I never would've even glanced at his collection of short stories. I'm so glad I did though. "A Most Blessed and Auspicious Occasion" is the perfect blend of absurd humour, blue-collar reality, middle-class fantasy, and universally understood romance-related clichés. And all of these elements – some of them seemingly contradictory – just made so much sense and packed so much power into so few pages.

[Yashwanth Lakke Gowda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun..

[Suhasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy and absurd!!!
Never thought a simple story about a wedding could be so engaging and funny!

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this short novel during a Bouddhist retreat where there were little sentences written everywhere like "Smile and Breathe" and a lot of talk about being kind, mindeful, at peace and loving.
Not that I don't like to be loving, at peace, mindful, kind, and to smile and breathe - but I hated to be told to do all that.
I wanted to escape and this read was perfect for it. The main caracter - who is quite relatable - is getting married to the woman he loves. The story starts simple : they both want a small wedding. But it doesn't really happen that way. The twist is, it all happens in a mythological world that is just like ours - capitalistic, full of absurd rules, and people getting into each others business.
I think without the mythological aspect it would already be a fun read. But that mix of realistic mythology makes it even more fun.
The end is a bit cliché, but didn't spoile the fun I had reading.

[Poojan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfectly written story, no notes!!!

[Mariah Calvert · Rating 5 out of 5]

are you kidding me this is SOOOO good. I’ve never been so captivated by a short story before. This author created one of my favorite shows ever and so that’s why I felt the NEED to read some of his books. I wasn’t let down. This short story, being less than 30 pages, is sooo funny with its pure absurdity, so unique because of its wild twist of fantasy and unbelievably adorable and heartwarming seeing the two main characters go through the ins and outs of marriage and getting to see the simple well of love they have for each other. I desperately want a whole book on this but I also think this is perfect the way that it is and I wouldn’t want anyone to touch it because it’s just faultless. 5/5 amazing

[Romane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une histoire courte super drôle qui se lit très facilement et me fait me questionner sur nos propres traditions autour du mariage. Ça m’a donné envie de lire plus d’histoires courtes !

[Lily Can't Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
this story was such a delight: funny, heartfelt, reflective. trying to break away from social norms can be scary, especially when everyone around you keeps chiming in their opinion nonstop. but love prevails

[Jahan Cataruja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story from Waksberg’s collection “Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory” is a gem. I’m even considering introducing it to my Anthropology class because this talks about marriage, conformity to social norms and all the pressures society puts in to people who just want to be together. I laughed, pondered, and reflected in this chapter. Sadly the short story collection was not all like this one. Still I enjoyed it overall.

[Nathalie Hasson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I freaking LOVED IT. Laughed out loud several times, so much that the friend sitting next to me got very curious about what I was reading. I just wish the ending wasn't this mess, I actually enjoyed it more when it was a bit more subtle, so it altered the fun of it just a bit for me.
Nevertheless, would blindly recommend it to anyone.

[neebee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did a thing where I read this as part of the anthology the author produced but I’d maybe put this on hold or borrowed and forgot about it and opened it again, thinking, wait. This is familiar!

But I liked the first time I read it so much that I re-read it again just as a short story. I want to be able to write books like this. It’s realistic and yet so otherworldly and…odd. But a nice and positive benign little love story that makes you smile 😊

[Chloë · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute fever dream. Go read it RIGHT NOW. So weird, so funny. So silly, so goofy.

Goat sacrifice to the Stone God? 10/10.
Weeping and Flailing and Shouting of Lamentations by the Shrieking Chorus? 10/10.
1954 Felix Wojnowski Promise Egg? 10/10.
Words like festooned and rabble-rouser? 10/10.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite short stories from one of my favorite books. :)

[Elizabeth SomebodysSomething · Rating 5 out of 5]

What did I just read. This has no business being this good.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far, one of my favorite modern/satirical short stories that I’ve read to date.

[ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

logging this separately because i completely fell in love with this story amongst all the other ones in SWWLYIAYDG.

absolutely 5/5 stars in my opinion.

[Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short read recommended by a writing instructor. I kind of liked it.

[Aleona Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt like such a fever dream to read but goddamn did i love this short story.

[Ine Van Passel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[Alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally a Bojack Horseman episode on paper. This was the only story I’ve read that got me laughing out loud slapping my knees and everything omg it’s too good

[Hafen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"sometimes desperate times call for punching a eunuch in the face so you can steal his giant silver egg and use it as a blunt object."

This happened to my buddy Eric

[Sam (RiverMoose) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story published in the collection "Someone who will love you in all your damaged glory" - a fun, absurd look at love, relationships and traditions.

[Kobi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This occasion was very blessed and auspicious. But the MOST blessed and auspicious? I’m not so sure

[rin · Rating 5 out of 5]

baa?? baa!