Emily, Alone, by Stewart O'Nan

 

Awards:

·       ALA – one of outstanding books of 2011

·       Atlantic Monthly – one of best books of the year

·       2013 – long-listed for Dublin Literary Award

 

Characters	Pittsburgh locations, etc.
Emily Maxwell Henry – husband, deceased   Arlene – sister-in-law   Louise Pickering– friend   Kenneth – son Lisa – wife Ella and Sam – children   Margaret – daughter Sarah and Justin – children   Jim and Marcia Cole – neighbors   Rufus – dog   Betty – cleaning lady	Fern Hollow Bridge - page 151 Homewood Cemetery   Phipps Conservatory   Post-Gazette, comics and crosswords – page 26

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2011 paperback edition

1.       If you have in-laws, did you understand Emily’s problems with Lisa, Kenneth’s wife?  Was there anything that she could do to help the relationship?

2.       Emily thought TV was “chewing gum for the mind” (page 133).   Do you agree with her?   She did like the PBS mysteries.  How were they different from regular TV shows?

3.       Emily placed great value on thank you notes.  She thought they were “more than a genteel nicety, reflecting, as it did, the bonds of love and respect upon which all relationships depended” (page 128).   On the other hand, her daughter thought that people should give gifts because it made them happy and that thank you notes were “useless formalities” and there “should be no obligation involved, no guilt” (page 129).  Where are you in this debate?  Can you understand the opposite view from yours?

4.       Did the author do a good job of describing the aging process?  If you are nearing Emily’s age, was there anything that particularly resonated with you?

5.       How differently would a younger person and someone near Emily’s age relate to this book?

6.       When it was published, the book received numerous award nominations.  Do you think they were deserved?  Why did the book receive so much attention?