Northeast Ohio

[dghobbs]

It is wonderful to have pictures of the places written about in the novel. They helped to bring the novel to life for me.

[tt4now87]

When I pictured Kim in my head, it was Katie Poirier I was seeing. Being from MN I remember the story of her disappearance well. Thanks for sharing the pic's. I've never been to Ohio. It looks a lot like the smaller towns in MN, which is very close to what I was imagining while I read the book.

[ctcablegirl]

I join you in thanking Mr. O'Nan for the pictures.  I grew up in Madison (on Lake Erie) and the beach pictures reminded me of all the beach parties we had.  Out of college I was a reporter for The Painesville Telegraph.  I had friends in Mentor and relatives in Willoughby.

I can remember when I was a teenager my Mom and I driving from Madison to Ashtabula so she could shop for a "special occasion dress".

Did you ever go to Geneva-On-The-Lake when you were a teenager?  Had my first 3.2 beer there when I was 18 and the summer between high school and college I spent many a night in one of the bars where all the college kids hung out.  I think it was called The Cove.  Anyway, Simon and Garfunkel were unknowns that summer and performed for free drinks and food.

CTCableGirl

[JaneM]

I loved the pictures and Mr. O'Nan's commentary.  It really adds to my perspective and I'm going to reread the book with the visuals in my head.  As a West Coast person, I could not see how there could be a jetty in a lake, but I guess the wind can kick up as much in the way of waves as the Pacific Ocean, or maybe the jetty is there simply for the lighthouse.

[bentley]

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ctcablegirl wrote:

I join you in thanking Mr. O'Nan for the pictures.  I grew up in Madison (on Lake Erie) and the beach pictures reminded me of all the beach parties we had.  Out of college I was a reporter for The Painesville Telegraph.  I had friends in Mentor and relatives in Willoughby.

I can remember when I was a teenager my Mom and I driving from Madison to Ashtabula so she could shop for a "special occasion dress".

Did you ever go to Geneva-On-The-Lake when you were a teenager?  Had my first 3.2 beer there when I was 18 and the summer between high school and college I spent many a night in one of the bars where all the college kids hung out.  I think it was called The Cove.  Anyway, Simon and Garfunkel were unknowns that summer and performed for free drinks and food.

CTCableGirl

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I bet S & G remember that performance; when you become famous you always remember what you did and where you performed when you were just starting out. A nice story CTcablegirl.

[MSaff]

Thank you for the information, Stewart, and for the posting, Maria. This brings more life to the story.

[lenoreva]

These pics are great.  Really does bring something to the story, thanks.

I lived in Ohio in HS and we took a trip up to Cedar Point in Sandusky one year.  So that part was very familiar to me.

[rdsw]

I grew up in northeast Ohio, however it was not lakeside but Amish country.  From the beginning of the book I could identify with the location and the mentality of the people there.  I had a high school friend who had a family member abducted and murdered.  It was a terrible ordeal.  Being supportive of my friend and his family was all I could do to feel useful.  He'd visit my house as an outlet to "get away" for a while and do normal things...wash his car, watch tv together, etc... The support shown to Kim's family was a true picture of an Ohio community and the Midwest in general.  And unfortunately, there are kooks out there like Mimi who are obsessed tragedy chasers.  Even though the similarities were uncomfortable to read at times I really appreciated the opportunity to revisit Ohio through Songs for the Missing. 

[maude40]

What a great thing to have pictures to bring the book to life. Thank you so much for posting them. Yvonne

[shelley727]

Thank you for the photos and essay.  It's great to put the story to the photos  and see the places.  I thought this book was dark and very hard for me to get through--I think mainly because I have 2 daughters of my own 15 & 17 yrs old.  I could relate to the parents in the story due my children being around the same age.  I found myself thinking about the characters when I wasn't reading the story & HOPING that they would find their daughter alive.

I enjoyed the book and had a hard time putting it down.   I am looking forward to reading other books by Mr. O'Nan.  Thank you Mr O'Nan for sharing your book with us.

Shelley      

[x2qwk2cx]

Thanks for the pics - they make the story more real.

[Jennd1]

The photos really bring the book to life. It is also neat to see what can inspire a town in a novel.

jenn D

[lamorgan]

Although I live in the Pacific Northwest now, I grew up in northeast Ohio, so I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. I could picture the area as I was reading. Looking at these photos brought back many memories, in addition to providing a clearer picture of the story itself. Thank you.

[resnickgl]

The pictures certainly added to the story and I hope that some of them are used in the book.  I suggest a few at the beginning of the pertenant chapters.

[villagespin]

I grew up off of I-90 in central NY and live in Western NY now, right off Lake Ontario, so this book really resonated with me and the pictures look very familiar. I totally understood the setting and the way the teens spent their summers, as well as the boring job with people just passing through as your customers. I think one of Mr. O'Nan's strengths is the way he captures the setting of his book, how it influences the story and its characters.

[Clevegal42]

I'm Cleveland born and bred and it was great to read a book about the towns in Northeast Ohio that didn't make them seem like old broken down towns in the middle of nowhere.  A lot of people have notions of what the area between Cleveland and Erie is but unless you've been there you don't know how nice it really is.  Small towns and close knit communities.  I know that other small towns are like that, but I've lived in PA and southern Ohio and I've never met people as nice and friendly as in the small NE Ohio towns like Conneaut and Ashtabula.  I love the lake and I hope to get a house up there one day, but probably closer to Sandusky way - don't want to be in the snow belt!  Beautiful pictures - you captured the towns perfectly. 

[reddoglady]

I really enjoyed the book -- thanks for the pictures they add alot -- it would be great to add some to the book -- I will definitely be reading all of your other books --  thanks first look book club -- can't wait for the next one -- 

[Deltadawn]

I would also like to thank Mr. O'Nan for posting these pictures. I've never been to the area and the pictures wonderfully complement the prose in the book and descriptions of the area.  It is very much as I imagined it to be. Thank you again, Mr. O'Nan

[Jeanne86]

I just found this part of the website today, one day after finishing the book.

My husband is very curious: is the picture on the cover also taken in the northeast section of Ohio? He is certain it's one of his favorite spots in the Adirondacks.
Any answer to this would be helpful!