“Emily Maxwell, widowed and nearing 80, is reasonably well-off and still in good health, yet her world has shrunk to a radius of less than 100 miles. She spends her time cleaning before the cleaning woman arrives, attending ever-more-frequent funerals, and working the crossword every morning with her tea and melba toast, except for Tuesdays, when she and her sister-in-law Arlene drive to the Eat ‘n’ Park for the two-for-one breakfast buffet. When Arlene suffers an ‘episode’ in the buffet line, Emily’s life of structure and routine is suddenly interrupted, and Emily begins to enjoy her new-found freedom. Emily, Alone is an elegant and measured novel about a quiet life still open to new possibilities. O’Nan excels at making Emily, one of those invisible women we pass on the street unnoticed, into a memorable character whose interior life touches us with its multiple layers of emotion.”—Kristine, Snow Goose Bookstore, Stanwood. Buy Emily, Alone from your local indie.
Face Out
Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan
March 24, 2012