Review of EVENSONG by Steward O'Nan (New Release)

 4 Stars

Having enjoyed the author’s last book, Ocean State (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2022/03/review-of-ocean-state-by-stewart-onan.html), I was anxious to read his upcoming release, Evensong.

This novel, set in Pittsburgh between September 2022 and January 2023, focuses on four members of the Humpty Dumpty Club, a volunteer club dedicated to helping seniors needing assistance. They drive people to appointments and pick up groceries and prescriptions. The four women, Emily, Arlene, Kitzi, and Susie are also seniors. We follow them as they carry on helping others while also coping with the realities of aging.

Emily, a widow, struggles with trusting her daughter who is an alcoholic. Arlene, Emily’s sister-in-law, is suffering from memory lapses. (Emily and Arlene appear in the Maxwell Family trilogy consisting of Wish You Were Here; Emily, Alone; and Henry, Himself.) Kitzi is caring for a husband with severe heart disease while also taking over as the club’s leader after the previous leader fell down a flight of stairs. Susie, at 63 the youngest of the group, is trying to build a new life after a divorce.

The women, though flawed, are admirable nonetheless. Despite their personal struggles with loss and physical decline, they get up every morning ready to engage with and serve their community. They help others and look after each other, even Emily and Arlene who “couldn’t stand each other.” There is no sentimentality in their portrayal; the characters emerge as people to admire, not pity, as they near the end of their lives.

The novel is slow-paced, as is appropriate to the characters and their lives which are more mundane than full of drama. Neither does the book offer a dramatic lesson. If there is a message, it is that people should be kind to each other. It also does suggest that we should avoid making judgments of others. Just as the women learn about the interesting and impactful lives of Jean and Gene who live in unsafe and unsanitary conditions, readers are indirectly encouraged not to make assumptions about others, especially seniors. Certainly, these four women contribute meaningfully to their community.

The tone is generally serious. Scenes like Arlene losing her way while driving to Emily’s are intense and sad. The episodes with pets are often heart-warming. But there are also touches of dry humour. For example, a move to a senior’s apartment is described “like Florida, a land of no return.”

Though I initially had difficulty differentiating among the characters, once I came to know them better, I enjoyed the book. I think it will appeal to readers who love Elizabeth Strout’s novels.

Note:  I received an eARC from the publisher via Edelweiss.