Emily, Alone: A Novel (edition 2011)

Emily Alone is a sequel to O'Nan's 2002 novel, Wish You Were Here, which I have not read. 80-year-old Emily Maxwell has settled into widowhood. Living far from her children and grandchild, she relies on her dog and her sister-in-law Arlene for regular companionship. In the course of the book, she cares for Arlene after a hospital stay, buys her first new car, negotiates with her kids over holiday visits, frets over her will and final arrangements, and weathers the deaths of several old friends.

Understand: there is no real story here, no plot to speak of. The strength of the book is Emily's voice: intelligent, vulnerable but seldom self-pitying, a tad controlling, perhaps a hair judgmental but not mean or aggressive. O'Nan does some interesting things with perspective here. While a third-person narration, we are definitely inside Emily's head most of the time, yet the reader can certainly step outside occasionally and see how her kids, for example, might occasionally be frustrated or bemused by her.

The realism of the character study is supported by an accumulation of ordinary detail, and I mean ordinary. How many novelists would devote any time at all to describing the difficulty of opening an economy three-pack of tissues? I love Stewart O'Nan. ( )

Just amazed how O'Nan could get so far into the head and heart of an 80-year-old woman. Small things happen in this book, but small things make up our lives.
Oh, and Stewart O'Nan, you dropped bread-crumbs that Emily may move back to her beloved Kersey, PA. I grew up not far away, so I would love to see her come full circle & return home. ( )

Stewart O'Nan is one of my favorite writers. Emily, Alone is a captivating story about the quiet life of a rather solitary, elderly woman. The writing is remarkable, and O'Nan's portrayal of Emily is startling in its complexity and its hopefulness. ( )

A good story and an interesting one, however there were a lot of questions not answered. I felt that it was geared more towards the woman reader. I would read other books by Mr. O'Nan ( )

I must have a bit of old lady in me, because I found myself empathizing with Emily in her 'aloneness' throughout EMILY, ALONE. But then author O'Nan must have some of the same in him; otherwise how does he get Emily so letter-perfect? Here's a story of an aging widow, living alone with her dog (Rufus is an important part of the book in my eyes) in a genteel old neighborhood of Pittsburgh and it all seemed so real to me I felt like I could go knock on Emily's door and introduce myself.

Pittsburgh is nearly a character itself, O'Nan knows it so well, inserting details both large and small of the city.

There is not a lot happening in EMILY, ALONE. You simply follow the widder-woman through approximately a year in her life, several years after the death of her beloved husband, lunching with twofer coupons with her sister-in-law, attending flower shows and art exhibits, going to funerals. There is a kind of low-key suspense felt throughout the story. I'm not sure if Emily's age is ever given, but I figure eighty-something, so of course there's gonna be some suspense. When you reach a certain age there is an element of risk in nearly everything.

I loved this book. My mom would have loved it too. I think eventually I will have to read the book that came before it, WISH YOU WERE HERE. O'Nan never disappoints, never fails to surprise you in the characters he creates. This is simply lovely, rich writing. ( )