Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
Perched in the far corner of a run-down New England mall, the Red Lobster hasn't been making its numbers and headquarters has pulled the plug. But manager Manny DeLeon still needs to navigate a tricky last shift.
With four shopping days left until Christmas, Manny must convince his near-mutinous staff to hunker down and serve the final onslaught of hungry retirees, lunatics, and holiday office parties. All the while, he's wondering how to handle the waitress he's still in love with, his pregnant girlfriend at home, and where to find the present that will make everything better.
No American novelist loves the dead-end town quite like Stewart O'Nan. In the 15 books that have poured out of him since 1994, he has visited the snowy, forgotten hamlets of upstate New York, and the bombed-out streets of East Liberty, Pittsburgh. He has twice set novels in those most forgotten metropolises, our prisons. Now O'Nan peers into a suburban Connecticut Red Lobster restaurant on the last night of its operation. Who knew an all-you-can-eat shrimp buffet could evoke such mournful, Edward Hopper–ish pathos?
About the Author: Stewart O'Nan is the author of ten novels, including Snow Angels and A Prayer for the Dying, as well as works of nonfiction, including the bestselling book with Stephen King on the Boston Red Sox, Faithful.
Granta named him one of the twenty Best Young American Novelists in 1995. He lives with his family in Avon, Connecticut.
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Jessica wrote:I'm glad you liked it. In 140 short pages, he creates in vivid detail an entire world. Pretty impressive.
dghobbs wrote:
I just finished this short, but Wonderful novel. The characters are well thought out, the writing is excellent, as I expected since I had read "The Circus Fire" earlier.doug
Jessica, Yes the author does amaze us with his ability to create extraordinary characters in a world that he makes easy for us to visualize. And Mr. O'Nan does this in such a short novel - quite an achievement...Doug
