Book Review – Emily Alone

Emily Alone by Stewart O’Nan (2011) – Emily Maxwell has reached that awkward time in her life.  Her children are grown, her husband had died and her friends are following suit.  As much as she would love to change things about that equation she’s not sure she can or even how to begin.  Yet along the way things will change and Emily will find that there is more to her than she believed.

This is a sequel to O’Nan’s successful novel “Wish You Were Here” but I must confess that I had never heard of either of these works or the novelist himself.  The book came as a recommendation from my MFA Creative Writing candidate child.  With the story anchored in Pittsburgh with just a taste of Chautauqua, NY (two places that are very special to me) it seemed an obvious choice to read.

What doesn’t seem as obvious is the topic of the story.  Emily is a little old lady, living a little old ladies life.  There’s very little exciting going on (other than her friend Arlene suddenly fainting at Eat’n Park).  This is a quiet life working its way along day by quiet day.  She works her way through trying to understand her grown up children and her growing up grandchildren.

At this point some of you have decided that this story isn’t for you.  To you, I have a simple message:

Don’t make that mistake!

If you do you will miss the stellar storytelling of Stewart O’Nan.  I find myself at a loss for the words with which to describe this story.  Gentle, bittersweet, resoundingly human, warm, authentic and ultimately captivating.  He not only takes you into the carefully circumscribed world of a senior citizen but he makes you feel comfortable there.  You understand the whys and hows of the path that brought Emily to this point in her life.  This is a story telling masterwork.  It makes me wonder why I haven’t discovered this author before and certainly makes me want to read more of his work.

O’Nan, like yours truly, is a Pittsburgh boy.  His love of our hometown comes through clearly.  For those of us who know the city and its environs, O’Nan will put you firmly into those places.  When you add in that Emily reminds me, in some ways, of my own mom you get a story that has all the basic pieces to appeal to me.  At the same time it was the author’s ability to tell her story that ultimately charmed me.

This isn’t the kind of story that you find waiting on every shelf.  That’s the other wonderful thing about “Emily Alone”, O’Nan boldly goes where few have chosen to go before.  He has the vision and skills to make the journey one well worth taking.  Easily one of the best books I read last year.

Rating – ***** Highly Recommended