AMERICAN AUTHORS CHALLENGE -- MARCH 2025 -- STEWART O'NAN

Many thanks to our fearless leader, Linda, for letting me host a month and repeat an author previously highlighted during the AAC.

I am a devoted fan of Stewart O’Nan and really wish he were better known and more widely read. He has at least a couple dozen books to his credit, including contributions to some anthologies. I own 18 of his novels and one work of nonfiction, and have read 12. In looking back at my comments on the ones I’ve read, the one consistent theme is how talented O’Nan is at bringing the mundane of everyday life into sharp focus and imbuing it with meaning. In my review of A Prayer for the Dying from 2015, I wrote “He is a wonderful, under-appreciated chronicler of human frailty and a keen observer of the small details that inform the everyday.” I’ve read several more books by him since then, and I stand by that comment.

If you’re interested in his biography, you can Google him but good luck. His Wikipedia entry is sketchy and his own website is pretty out of date. He was born and raised in Pittsburgh and lives there currently.

Below are the books of his I’ve read with some brief comments on them, in case anyone is looking for recommendations 🙂

My favorites:
Songs for the Missing - About the aftermath of the disappearance of a teenage girl.
Emily, Alone - The sequel to Wish You Were Here; a beautiful portrait of ageing, loneliness, and connection.
Last Night at the Lobster - My favorite Christmas read every year.
Everyday People - Linked stories about a gritty African American neighborhood.
The Speed Queen - American noir, told mostly in flashbacks by a woman on death row.
A Prayer for the Dying - Historical fiction about a small community in Wisconsin in the 1870s, facing a diphtheria epidemic and an approaching wildfire. I just saw this is being made into a movie with John C. Reilly.

Also really good:
Wish You Were Here - 4 stars - The first in the trilogy about the Maxwells (along with Emily, Alone and Henry Himself), an upper middle class family with complicated dynamics.
In the Walled City: Stories - 4 stars - O’Nan’s first published book; I’m not a huge short story fan, but I thought this collection was quite good.
Snow Angels The first O’Nan I ever read, and I don’t remember much about it other than that I liked it!

Still Good, Just Not the Best:
City of Secrets - A historical thriller set in Jerusalem around the time of the establishment of the State of Israel. I had trouble getting into this one.
Ocean State - O’Nan’s most recent novel; lots of teen angst and misguided romance.
The Circus Fire - 3.5 stars - Nonfiction about a fatal fire in Hartford, CT in the 1940s; some of it was fascinating, but I found it a bit dry and repetitive at times.

These are the unread O'Nans in my possession. I am definitely planning to read Henry, Himself this month, and I'd like to sneak in another one, too.

Thanks for stepping up for the March edition of the AAC, Katie! (I really hate it when I'm preparing an introductory post and can't find much in the way of bio on the author. AND YET, in this age of Everybody Knows Your Name and ALL Your Numbers, how does anyone with a public profile of any kind manage that?)

I read The Night Country a few years back, and enjoyed it...although it had some odd stylistic quirks that took some getting used to. Not having read a lot of O'Nan, I don't know if he's given to that sort of thing, but in this case it worked pretty well.

>3 laytonwoman3rd: - You may have moved The Night Country to the top of the "if I can fit it in" list, Linda, as I am intrigued by the quirks you mention. I don't think it's a trademark of his - I find most of his stuff very straightforward.

ETA: fix touchstone

I'm not a regular AAC participant; rather than accepting the challenge as a whole I jump in if something interesting catches my eye. I've been meaning to read Songs for the Missing, so that's my pick.

I'm in - not sure what I'll read yet, but maybe Wish You Were Here or Speed Queen. I have read seven of his books and have six waiting in the stacks. Thanks, Katie for setting this up and for introducing me to O'Nan several years ago. I have not read anything that I didn't like by him.

>5 lauralkeet: - That's how I approach it, too, Laura. I'm glad the timing worked for you to join this month.

>6 Crazymamie: - I liked both of those, Mamie. WYWH is a quiet, family drama and SQ is gritty and dark, so it'll likely depend on your mood which hits right :)

I will definitely be participating but not sure just yet what I will be reading. There are so many good ones from which to choose!

Ditto what Stasia said. Got a few unread books on the shelves. Have to decide by Saturday.

>8 alcottacre: and >9 weird_O: - I'm curious which you have to decide among. Inquiring minds and all that... :)

>10 katiekrug: I pulled down all of my O'Nan books and for now, I have decided to read the 'Henry' trilogy: Wish You Were Here, Emily, Alone, and Henry, Himself. I read Emily, Alone years ago and Henry, Himself a couple of years back, but do not think I have ever read Wish You Were Here, so I am going to read the trilogy in order. I may read at least one more as well, but am starting off with the trilogy.

I haven't participated here before but you did pull me into reading some O'Nan in the past and it is probably time for another one. I've read the "Henry" trilogy and Last Night At the Lobster. What do you recommend next?

>11 alcottacre: - Stasia, that sounds like a good little project for the month :)

>12 RebaRelishesReading: - I'd recommend Songs for the Missing or Snow Angels, Reba. But really, I don't think you can go wrong with anything by him!

>13 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. I'll check those two out first :)

>13 katiekrug: Yay! I am hoping it all works out. I am going to be out of town for 10 days mid-month and doubt I will do any reading while traveling.

Here's what I got. The first three listed I have read, and in the order listed. The others are unread. Which of those nine should I tackle?

Last Night at the Lobster (2007)
Emily, Alone (2011)
The Night Country (2003)

Snow Angels: A Novel (1994)
A Prayer for the Dying (1999)
The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy (2000)
Everyday People (2001)
The Good Wife (2005)
Songs for the Missing (2008)
The Odds: A Love Story (2012)
West of Sunset (2015)
Henry, Himself (2019)

>14 RebaRelishesReading: - Happy to help!

>15 alcottacre: - NO reading while traveling?!?! What is this madness? J/K. I never read as much as I think I will when I travel...

>16 weird_O: - Bill, I say go with Everyday People. It can be hard to find, and I thought it was very good.

>17 katiekrug: We are going to a board gaming convention so I will likely be spending all my time playing games. Then we are off to meet up with Peggy and Karen in North Carolina so probably no reading then either. Since I will be doing a lot of the driving, I am unlikely to be reading while driving. . .

>17 katiekrug: OK!

>18 alcottacre: - At bedtime? Over meals? In the bathroom?

Sounds like a fun trip!

>19 weird_O: - Hope you like it, Bill!

>20 katiekrug: If I try and read at bedtime, then I will never get any sleep. It is always 'just one more chapter,' which after a while becomes half a book, lol.

Meals I will be spending with Kerry and it seems rude to ignore him, lol. Who spends that much time in the bathroom?

I will have to catch up on reading when I get back!

I found my copy of Everyday People, so I'm ready for March.

>21 alcottacre: - Excuses, excuses ;-)

>22 weird_O: - Woot!

Thanks for stepping into the hot seat, Katie!

I am going to read one of your favourites - Emily, Alone. His books are not so easily available here but I have two on my shelves and have also read one other, City of Secrets.

>24 PaulCranswick: - I hope you enjoy it, Paul.

If I can put my hand on the so far unread West of Sunset I'll aim to read that. I have not so far been successful this year with the challenge.

Thanks for leading this month Katie.

I finished Songs for the Missing yesterday, and loved it. You really can't go wrong with O'Nan.

>26 Caroline_McElwee: - I hope you can find it and read it, Caroline. That is one I haven't read yet.

>27 lauralkeet: - Great review, Laura. I read this one in May 2016 and gave it 5 stars. I went back to see what I said about it and this comment stood out for me and makes me want to re-read the novel:

"What I loved was how the characters were all distinct and how O'Nan gave them each their own story but ultimately brought them all to the same place, as if acknowledging the importance of the paths we take, as opposed to the destination we come to."

Has anyone else started their O'Nan for the month? I won't be cracking open Henry, Himself until next week probably.

I've about 100 pages to go in Wish You Were Here. I totally agree with "What I loved was how the characters were all distinct and how O'Nan gave them each their own story ". I think that's his greatest strength. I felt I knew each of the characters almost as soon as they were introduced, just from a few lines of internal monologue. And the setting of this one is irresistible to me...

>28 katiekrug: I really like that, Katie.

>30 laytonwoman3rd: and I agree with Linda it applies to Henry, Himself too. And, dare I say, all of O'Nan's books?

>30 laytonwoman3rd: / >31 lauralkeet: - I definitely think it's one of his strengths as a writer. I also think it is why I liked his short story collection and novellas as much as I did - he doesn't need the same space as some writers to give his readers a complete and complex portrait.

>29 katiekrug: You asked; here's my answer. Yes. I have started Everyday People, approaching the halfway point. My reading is somewhat scattered in that I've got several books going.

I’ve got Songs for the Missing home from the library, and it’s up next in my “queue.”

Karen O

>33 weird_O: - Glad to hear you've started, Bill. At least it's a short one :)

>34 klobrien2: - Excellent! I hope you like it as much as Laura and I did, Karen.

I had hoped to get the entire trilogy of Wish You Were Here, Henry, Himself, and Emily, Alone read this month, but it is not going to happen. I have read the latter two books previously and I am glad I did because I thought highly of them both. Wish You Were Here, not so much.

>36 alcottacre: - I liked WYWH more than you did, Stasia, but I agree HH and EA are better!

>37 katiekrug: Yeah, WYWH is not a keeper for me unfortunately. I am glad you enjoyed it more than I did, Katie!

>38 katiekrug: I am definitely going to have to get to Henry and Emily before the year is out. I loved both of those books.

Didn't turn up the copyof book I planned to read.

Definitely going to be playing catchup with AAC in the second half of the year once I've retired.

LINDA: not forgotten I'm hosting August: True Crime & its Fictional Offspring

>40 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline! I'm looking forward to that. And I KNOW you're looking forward to retirement!

I decided to squeeze in another O'Nan before the end of the month. Started The Odds: A Love Story last night. It's quite short so I should have no problem finishing it in a day or two.

I finished Emily Alone and I liked it. He was a new to me author

The April theme is Appalachian Authors...I promise I'm working on getting the thread up!

>44 Kristelh: - You picked a great one to start with! I hope you'll read more by O'Nan :)

I finished Songs for the Missing just under the wire on Sunday. I read Last Night at the Lobster years ago, and this novel has the same kind of feel. It's about average people in an average community facing loss and reflecting on how their lives will be different in the face of that loss.

Well, I haven’t gotten very far with Songs for the Missing but I still want to read it.

O’Nan was born in Pittsburgh, PA, which is in the northern part of the Appalachian Mountains. Some consider Pittsburgh “the London of the Appalachians” (hey, it said that on the Internet!)

So, I will continue my read of O’Nan for the April AAC.

Karen O

>48 klobrien2: Well, why not? It never occurred to me to include Pittsburgh in Appalachia, but the internet never steers us wrong, does it?

>49 laytonwoman3rd: Most of Pennsylvania is in Appalachia!

>50 cbl_tn: Well, I can't speak for Pittsburgh, but those of us who grew up in Northeastern PA identify more with the Catskills. Even here in the old "coal country" where I've lived for the past 45 years, "Appalachia" is not a word used to describe the area by people who actually live here. Geographically, it's not wrong, but it's a rare designation. I think that may be because so many of the immigrants here came from Eastern Europe, and we think of Appalachian culture as deriving from the Scots and Irish. (You see, I really AM working on that Appalachian writers' post. Life has just been intrusive the last few days!)

>47 cbl_tn: - Glad you joined us!

>48 klobrien2: - Great plan, Karen :)

>51 laytonwoman3rd: With parts of 13 states in Appalachia (including all of West Virginia), there are several subcultures across the region. The Scots-Irish are most strongly identified with Southern and Central Appalachia.

Those of us from east Tennessee don't tend to describe ourselves as "Appalachian" either, and there is some pushback on the definition of the term. Here's one example of that: https://uacvoice.org/2021/10/exploring-the-notion-of-appalachian-identity-by-mik... (The example is from the Cincinnati region, but I think it's more broadly applicable.)

I was born and raised in East Tennessee, but I would not use the term "Appalachian" to describe myself except in this kind of discussion.

Since I did not get the trilogy read as I had planned in March, I am determined to get Emily, Alone at the very least read in April.

The Long-Awaited Appalachian Authors Thread is now open for business!