The Stranger

Stewart O’Nan writes simple novels about average people doing normal things. Remarkably, he does this not by condescending to his subjects or building their small lives into something heroic--he simply explains what happens in clear, strangely compelling prose. His new novel, The Odds: A Love Story, about a couple making one last-ditch trip to Niagara Falls before finalizing their divorce, doesn’t shy away from the casual ugliness of a relationship that has lasted decades, but O’Nan gives the reader a gift by opening up his realistic miniature just a crack and letting love pour inside. (Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave, www.spl.org, 7 pm, free) by Paul Constant

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