Last Night at the Lobster
 | |
| Author | Stewart O'Nan |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Viking Press[1] Allen & Unwin[2] |
Publication date | 5 November 2007[1] |
| Pages | 146[1] |
| ISBN | 978-0-670-01827-7 |
Last Night at the Lobster is a novella by American writer Stewart O'Nan,[3] published in 2007.
Plot[edit]
The story centres around manager Manny DeLeon and the last shift and closure of a Red Lobster restaurant in New Britain, Connecticut.[4][5]
O'Nan has said that he was prompted to write the book after reading about a real Red Lobster restaurant which was closed overnight and thinking about "the off-kilter relationship between corporate ownership vs. local constituents".[6]
Response[edit]
Response to Last Night at the Lobster has been generally positive. A starred review in The Atlantic commended the book as a "melancholy but never bitter story of a decent guy trying to do the right thing" and O'Nan's writing as able to "coax poetry from the prosaic".[7] Mark Athitakis writing for the Star Tribune called Last Night at the Lobster "a modern classic about shift work".[8] Kirkus Reviews described the book as "very low-key, but haunting and quietly provocative".[1]
In his review for The New York Times, Nathaniel Rich calls the novella "a methodical, minute-by-minute account" of the day but said that O'Nan "can evoke the tedium of the job too effectively", noting the "five full pages" describing the use of a snowblower to clear snow from around the restaurant.[9]
Ian Chipman from Booklist praised O'Nan for his description of the "brisk rushes and dreary lulls" of the restaurant environment, but commented that the work was "intriguing but limited" and "streches, rather than flexes, O'Nan's considerable talent".[10]
Ron Charles from The Washington Post recommended the novella in his top 10 reads for Labor Day, calling the story "quietly moving" and a "clear-eyed insight into the way millions of people work and get laid off in America".[11]
Upon its release it was chosen as one of Entertainment Weekly's 10 best books of 2007,[12] and it was longlisted for the 2009 IMPAC Dublin prize.[13] In a 2020 article, author and critic Maureen Corrigan named Last Night at the Lobster as "one of [her] favourite books of all time".[14]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Last Night At The Lobster". Kirkus Reviews. 15 August 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Kevin Gildea (6 January 2018). "Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Beth Carswell. "The Best Novellas: Literature's Middle Child". AbeBooks. Archived from the original on 30 August 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Sherry Linkon (5 July 2016). "To Really Understand Working-Class Voters, Read These Books". BillMoyers.com. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ Emily M. Olson (16 March 2022). "Torrington bookstore owner makes discovery with CT connection". The Register Citizen. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ Robin Vidimos (8 November 2007). ""Last Night at the Lobster"". The Denver Post. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ "Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan". The Atlantic. 301 (1): 132. January–February 2008. ProQuest 223086462. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Mark Athitakis (5 April 2019). "Review: 'Henry, Himself,' by Stewart O'Nan". Star Tribune. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ Nathaniel Rich (5 November 2007). "Book Review: Last Night at the Lobster". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Ian Chipman (1 November 2007). "Last Night at the Lobster". Booklist. 104 (5): 27. ProQuest 235593335.
- ^ Ron Charles (1 September 2013). "10 novels to work on for Labor Day". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Jennifer Reese (20 December 2007). "The Best Books of 2007". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Lindesay Irvine (12 November 2008). "147 authors fight it out for the Impac Dublin prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Maureen Corrigan (13 April 2020). "Need A Mental Escape? These Books Offer Solace In Troubled Times". NPR. Retrieved 5 January 2023.