STEWART
O'NAN
Goodreads
synopsis: The
Red Lobster perched in the far corner of a run-down New England mall
hasn't been making its numbers and headquarters has pulled the plug.
But manager Manny DeLeon still needs to navigate a tricky last shift
with a near-mutinous staff. All the while, he's wondering how to
handle the waitress he's still in love with, what to do about his
pregnant girlfriend, and where to find the present that will make
everything better.
Stats
for my copy:
Paperback, Penguin Books, 2008.
How
acquired:
Bought.
First
line:
Mall traffic on a gray winter's day, stalled.
My
thoughts:
This is a slim (146 pages) paperback that took me longer to read
than it should have. Partly because I just didn't have a lot of time
to read, but partly because I found it a bit of a struggle to get
into. The narrative is in present tense, which is my least favorite
tense, but once I picked up the flow I decided the author made a good
choice there, as it fit the story. The entire book takes place over
one day at a Red Lobster, which is being closed down effective the
following day. The detail, the minutiae of running a restaurant – I
worked in restaurants for several years but reading this I felt like
I knew nothing about working in a restaurant. And it certainly didn't
make me ever want to do so again! The narrative is from Manny's point
of view, so we don't get any insight into any of the other
characters. I would've liked to know more about Jacquie, the waitress
Manny had an affair with and is still hung up on, and how they got
together.
Overall
the book was a bit depressing, but I did appreciate the author's
talent for imagery, especially in the outdoor scenes with the snow
storm. When I walked out of my house I was momentarily surprised that
the air was hot and humid instead of freezing cold.
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