Good Reads / Community Library Notes
Henry, Myself
Stewart O'Nan
Review by Priscilla Comen
Henry, Myself
Stewart O'Nan
Review by Priscilla Comen
Henry, Myself, by Stewart O’Nan, is the story, told in his voice of the life of Henry Maxwell. He shows us his days as a boy, with sister Arlene, when they took piano lessons. He hated it at first then fell in love with the piano teacher and practiced daily. Henry takes his loving wife, Emily, to a fancy restaurant for dinner and champagne on Valentine’s Day. They talk about their daughter, Margaret, and her troubles with Jeff, her husband. Rufus, their dog, gets between them when they kiss. The snow is deep as they drive and trudge through it to home.
When his sister’s disposal stops working, Henry goes to her apartment to fix it. He’s pleased with his work. His knee hurts from a fall the previous week. His primary doctor is in the hospital. The temporary doc says exercise and physical therapy will fix it. Author O’Nan is a genius at drawing pictures with words of people we know and can recognize. Henry goes through his life, doing what he must. He changes the clocks in the house and in his car when winter ends and spring goes forward. At Easter, he goes to the airport to pick up his son and his family. When his sister has too much to drink, he drives her home and tucks her into bed. Henry plants new grass seed where Rufus has peed. He looks every day to see if it has grown. Emily buys a rock to show Rufus where to go to pee. Author O’Nan takes us to brunch at the club for Mother’s Day, to the dock at the lake, and to the cemetery for Memorial Day to remember Henry’s uncle.
In the summer, he goes to True Value hardware store. It has new owners and Henry is sad. When his whole family arrives at their summer cottage, they all do chores: clean gutters, screens, scrape the roof tiles, turn the garden, take down the flag. Henry’s feet and hands get numb. Emily gives him aspirin. Taking down the TV antenna is a disaster. Father’s Day comes and goes. Henry receives the perfect gift, though he asked for nothing. They get ready for the 4th of July when daughter Margaret, who is leaving husband Jeff, will arrive. They decorate with flags and bunting, and after barbecuing hot dogs set off fireworks. Margaret and Jeff sit together even though they are separating.
Halloween comes with hundreds of trick and treaters. After fall comes spring when Henry forgets movie star’s names and Margaret is involved in a traffic accident. Emily goes to the hospital to stay with her and Henry has the family for Thanksgiving. He does all right without Emily, though he misses her. Author O’Nan goes through the whole year with Henry. We hope he has many more years. Find this delightful year of a novel on the new fiction shelf of your Mendocino Community Library.
When his sister’s disposal stops working, Henry goes to her apartment to fix it. He’s pleased with his work. His knee hurts from a fall the previous week. His primary doctor is in the hospital. The temporary doc says exercise and physical therapy will fix it. Author O’Nan is a genius at drawing pictures with words of people we know and can recognize. Henry goes through his life, doing what he must. He changes the clocks in the house and in his car when winter ends and spring goes forward. At Easter, he goes to the airport to pick up his son and his family. When his sister has too much to drink, he drives her home and tucks her into bed. Henry plants new grass seed where Rufus has peed. He looks every day to see if it has grown. Emily buys a rock to show Rufus where to go to pee. Author O’Nan takes us to brunch at the club for Mother’s Day, to the dock at the lake, and to the cemetery for Memorial Day to remember Henry’s uncle.
In the summer, he goes to True Value hardware store. It has new owners and Henry is sad. When his whole family arrives at their summer cottage, they all do chores: clean gutters, screens, scrape the roof tiles, turn the garden, take down the flag. Henry’s feet and hands get numb. Emily gives him aspirin. Taking down the TV antenna is a disaster. Father’s Day comes and goes. Henry receives the perfect gift, though he asked for nothing. They get ready for the 4th of July when daughter Margaret, who is leaving husband Jeff, will arrive. They decorate with flags and bunting, and after barbecuing hot dogs set off fireworks. Margaret and Jeff sit together even though they are separating.
Halloween comes with hundreds of trick and treaters. After fall comes spring when Henry forgets movie star’s names and Margaret is involved in a traffic accident. Emily goes to the hospital to stay with her and Henry has the family for Thanksgiving. He does all right without Emily, though he misses her. Author O’Nan goes through the whole year with Henry. We hope he has many more years. Find this delightful year of a novel on the new fiction shelf of your Mendocino Community Library.