From North Country Public Radio:
This recent novel from Stewart O’Nan, who has been called the “bard of the working class,” takes us into the lives of people who work at a restaurant that is going out of business. Hosts Ellen Rocco and Chris Robinson, along with the Massena Book Club, talk to the author in this special on-the-road season, live from Massena Public Library.
Songs for the Missing begins in the familiar territory of a mystery novel, but the latest Stewart O’Nan narrative veers in another direction: Rather than solve the mystery, O’Nan studies what happens to the friends and relatives left behind.
The 47-year-old author — who will read from the new novel and Last Night at the Lobster (2007) tonight during an “Evenings With Authors” event — spoke recently from his home in Connecticut.
The book tour for Songs for the Missing (and the softcover of Last Night at the Lobster) is on. Check out the Book Tour Schedule to attend an event.
Sunday, November 23 – 12:30 p.m. Hotel Monteleone, Riverview Room (Roof)
THE AMERICAN DREAM: Making it Big with a Debut Novel! Featuring Andrew Davidson, author of the new highly touted The Gargoyle; Julia Glass, author of I See You Everywhere, and Stewart O’Nan, author of Songs for The Missing. Stewart O’Nan won the Faulkner Society’s first gold medal for best novel in 1993 with his brilliantly poignant manuscript Snow Angels. The gold medal for his unpublished manuscript landed him a two-book contract with Doubleday, and O’Nan has published more than a dozen books since. Snow Angels remains in print, and was adapted for a film by David Gordan Green and released recently. In the film, Sam Rockwell gives a devastatingly anguished performance, the kind that makes the viewer squirm with the pain of it all. So, what do these writers think about the future of the novel? Can this American Dream still come true? A cash bar will be open and authors will sign following the session.
Mon., Nov. 10; Columbus School for Girls, 56 S. Columbia Ave.
“Anyone who thinks American fiction is dead hasn’t read the work of Stewart O’Nan.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
Stewart O’Nan will read from two novels: his 2007 New York Times “Editor’s Pick”, Last Night at the Lobster, and his brand new work Songs of the Missing, an enthralling account of a family in the aftermath of their daughter’s disappearance. O’Nan’s acclaimed talent for depicting his ordinary heroes with empathy and grace is evident on every page of these two books. O’Nan is the author of several works, one of which, Snow Angel, was made into a film. He has won several literary awards, including The Washington Post’s “Book of the Year” for Last Night at the Lobster. He lives in Connecticut.
The Works of Stewart O'Nan 