Ocean State

A mesmerising human drama, beautifully observed and compellingly written. The central murder story reminded me of the sublime crime writing of Ruth Rendell, and the insight into the characters' lives is reminiscent of the best of Anne Tyler. In other words, there's so much about this novel that's remarkable, and I urge you to read it -- B. P. Walter, author of THE DINNER GUEST
Keeps the reader glued...it's in the excavation of this extraordinary "whydunnit", rather than whodunnit, that O'Nan reveals the mess of inequality and lack of opportunity in contemporary America. * Sunday Independent *
O'Nan is an enticing writer, a master of the illuminatingly mundane moments... O'Nan is subverting the thriller, borrowing its momentum to propel this bracing, chilling novel * New York Times *
Beautifully rendered and heartbreaking...a Shakespearean tragedy told in spare, poetic, insightful prose * Publishers Weekly *
Stewart O'Nan's haunting and fleetOcean State tunnels deeply into the heady, hard lives of the vivid young women at its centre. Half-broken and full of longing, these women move us deeply. As the story hurtles toward an act of violence that feels both impossible and inexorable, we find ourselves wanting to stop and protect all of them. -- Megan Abbott
Stewart O'Nan is out to break your heart in the most beautiful way. He is writing with his full power unleashed. This book is a classic. -- Luis Alberto Urrea
One of Stewart O'Nan's many gifts is a keen and unflinching eye lit with an abiding compassion for his characters, all of which is on display in his mesmerizing new novel, Ocean State. Set in the forgotten streets of post-industrial, blue collar Rhode Island, this timely and gritty tale takes us deeply into the lives of girls and women who must navigate the kind of loss that can either break or strengthen the ties that bind us all. Ocean State is a gem glittering in the darkness. -- Andre Dubus III
What O'Nan has done perhaps better than anybody else the past ten years is deliver the complexity, heartbreak and human drama of everyday people living everyday lives. -- Jonathan Evison