Watermark Books and Cafe

Stewart O’Nan’s thirteenth novel, "Emily, Alone," shares many characteristics with his earlier novels. In "The Good Wife” we empathize with a mother whose husband is imprisoned, in “Last Night at the Lobster” we respect a man who has the thankless job of managing an average chain restaurant. Now, in “Emily, Alone” we come to know a widower in her latter years.       

We all know the specious, elderly Emily Maxwell. She is our aging mother, our great aunt, the widower next door--the woman who sits in that same second pew every Sunday for the 10:00 service.     

Each chapter is devoted to such activities as the annual Pittsburgh Garden Show; a Thanksgiving holiday during which Emily may or may not have the anticipated satisfaction of a visit from her grown children, one that she welcomes with open arms but is glad when the house is her sanctuary again; or merely her dog prancing around the house, almost tripping her in his ebullient habit of bounding down the stairs, then spinning to watch as she cautiously makes her way down to the kitchen to get them both breakfast. 

Dubbed the “bard of the working class,” O’Nan excels at crafting compelling novels from the details of seemingly mundane lives. We’re along for the ride--not only for the story, but also the immaculate articulation of our own lives and experiences as we live them every day.   

Review by Sarah Bagby