Songs for the Missing: A NovelStewart O'Nan
Stewart O'Nan's Songs for the Missing was March's first book in my reading resolution. It didn't rock my world, but I didn't want to hurl it across the room, either. Songs for the Missing is a melancholy, thoughtful analysis regarding what happens to those left behind after a family member disappears.
The Larsen family is thrown into disarray when Kim, their eighteen-year-old daughter, disappears on her way to work one afternoon. Unfortunately, her family doesn't realize Kim has disappeared until the next morning, and it's not surprising to find that leads are few. Kim is happy, popular, and looking forward to college in the fall: she has no reason to runaway. The search expands when Kim's car is found in a nearby town.
This isn't, however, Kim's novel. Instead, the novel zeroes in on how Kim's parents and her younger sister each cope with the crisis. Her father can't stop searching; her mother organizes the media assault and plans fundraisers; her younger sister tries to find her own place in this new, crazy world.
O'Nan's exploration of how a family is irrevocably changed by the disappearance of a core member was intriguing, but its effect faded quickly. Nearly a month after having read Songs for the Missing, I remember it as thought-provoking but ephemeral. I didn't care too much about any of the characters, and felt rather distanced from and apathetic about their plight. The effect was rather like Gloucester's wanton boys playing with their flies: I was interested in their suffering, but not moved by it.
In a nutshell: Intriguing, but not memorable
Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars
The Larsen family is thrown into disarray when Kim, their eighteen-year-old daughter, disappears on her way to work one afternoon. Unfortunately, her family doesn't realize Kim has disappeared until the next morning, and it's not surprising to find that leads are few. Kim is happy, popular, and looking forward to college in the fall: she has no reason to runaway. The search expands when Kim's car is found in a nearby town.
This isn't, however, Kim's novel. Instead, the novel zeroes in on how Kim's parents and her younger sister each cope with the crisis. Her father can't stop searching; her mother organizes the media assault and plans fundraisers; her younger sister tries to find her own place in this new, crazy world.O'Nan's exploration of how a family is irrevocably changed by the disappearance of a core member was intriguing, but its effect faded quickly. Nearly a month after having read Songs for the Missing, I remember it as thought-provoking but ephemeral. I didn't care too much about any of the characters, and felt rather distanced from and apathetic about their plight. The effect was rather like Gloucester's wanton boys playing with their flies: I was interested in their suffering, but not moved by it.
In a nutshell: Intriguing, but not memorable
Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars
2 comments:
the premise for this book sounds really interesting. i remember from disappearance cases on the news, the haunted faces of the families left behind...but we never really get follow up on them to see how they are coping months and years later. i going to put this title on my TBR list because i'm interested in the topic. thanks for the honest review.
Hmmmm...I do not think I will read this one but make a note of SONG FOR THE MISSING.
Thank-you for the review, have a great week-end
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