Ocean State Y/A Thriller Novel - Book Review

Ocean State Y/A Thriller Novel - Book Review by Book Club Reporter: Laura Jay

Ocean State is a Y/A Thriller Novel written by author, Stewart O’Nan.

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Transcript

Ocean State Y/A Thriller Novel – Stewart O’Nan 

00:01

Music Intro - Greeting

 Hello gentle readers. Welcome to Book Club Reporter Book Reviews Podcast. I’m your host and Book Club Reporter, Laura Jay.  

00:10

 This is Season 4 - Episode 6  
                                                    

 00:14

 Story Preview:

 Today I am sharing with you my Book Club Reporter book review of Ocean State which I will describe as a Y/A (Young Adult) thriller novel written by author, Stewart O’Nan.  And in the first couple of lines in the book we learn of the murder of Birdy, a girl who was also crushing on Myles. And I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

 Now don’t go away because Ocean State is a young adult thriller novel about high-school students, Angel and Myles. And in the first couple of lines in the book we learn of and the murder of Birdy a girl who was also crushing on Myles. And I can’t wait to tell you all about it. 

00:40

 New Listener Information:

 For new listeners listening here today, I want to invite you to visit my BookClubReporter website. So be sure to read all my book reviews, book news, book club reading lists and more at bookclubreporter.com

 And now you can find additional book reviews by me on BookPraises.com. And I would love for you to come follow me over on Twitter where you can find me as: @jay_reporter and on Instagram where you can find me as: bookclubreporter_laura_jay.

01:20

 Publisher Book Description 

 Now, before I share my book review with you, please let me provide you with the publisher’s book description of: Ocean State. As you may know, the publisher’s book description is the first thing most of us read when we are deciding whether or not to purchase a book to read. 

 Set in a working-class town on the Rhode Island coast, O’Nan’s latest is a crushing, beautifully written, and profoundly compelling novel about sisters, mothers, and daughters, and the terrible things love makes us do. 

 In the first line of Ocean State, we learn that a high school student was murdered, and we find out who did it. The story that unfolds from there with incredible momentum is thus one of the build-up to and fall-out from the murder, told through the alternating perspectives of the four women at its heart. Angel, the murderer, Carol, her mother, and Birdy, the victim, all come alive on the page as they converge in a climax both tragic and inevitable. Watching over it all is the retrospective testimony of Angel’s younger sister Marie, who reflects on that doomed autumn of 2009 with all the wisdom of hindsight.

 Angel and Birdy love the same teenage boy, frantically and single mindedly, and are compelled by the intensity of their feelings to extremes neither could have anticipated. O’Nan’s expert hand paints a fully realized portrait of these women, but also weaves a compelling and heartbreaking story of working-class life in Ashaway, Rhode Island. Propulsive, moving, and deeply rendered, Ocean State is a masterful novel by one of our greatest storytellers.

03:36

 About the Author:

 Let me stop here for a moment or two to tell you about the author. Stewart O’Nan’s award-winning fiction includes Snow Angels, A Prayer for the Dying, Last Night at the Lobster, and Emily, Alone. 

 Granta named Stewart one of America’s Best Young Novelists. He lives in Pittsburgh. And in case you are wondering, Granta is comprised of Granta magazine and Granta Books sharing a remit to discover and publish the best in new literary fiction, memoir, reportage and poetry from around the world.

04:19

Book Review 

 Okay now, here is my book review of Ocean State: 

 Ocean State story is a perfect example of why parents try so hard to keep their high-school kids happy, and most of all, safe. In Ocean State we see how one big mistake by dating high schoolers turns quickly tragic. For this reason alone, I would categorize Ocean State as a young adult novel, and even appropriate for those a few years younger. We can see a lot of this story through the eyes of Angel’s younger sister. It is clear there is a lesson-learned on her part. 

 In Ocean State we see how possessiveness and obsessive thoughts and actions can lead to big trouble in any relationship whether real, imagined, or just misinterpreted. We see the unfortunate strife between two young lovers after the third person in the relationship is murdered right in the very beginning of the story. 

 Ocean State stands well as a valuable warning to young people, and especially to young lovers, to ratchet down the emotional angst. To me the message came across as: protect your life and protect your future. 

 The author has written an intelligent, cautionary tale of how to not to ruin your future. And the speed of the story, should appeal to the audience who will most need to absorb how class and wealth (or the lack thereof) can lead to differing outcomes for all those involved in such a catastrophic event. 

 And, I would like to add my personal opinion here about how family members are impacted when one family member goes through a tough time. I remember back in college, discussing how when one member of the family is suffering, the rest of the family suffers too. So, the takeaway here is that sometimes as individuals we also need to consider the feelings and the lives of our family members. What they do affects you and what you do affects them. It’s just that way.

 So just one last thing here. Ocean State is a fast moving story… which is great! However, some readers might find the story a bit challenging to follow due to how fast the story moves and also the multiple narrators in the story. No matter, Ocean State is absolutely very much worth the read. 

07:10

More Information

Thank you all for joining me today for this Book Club Reporter book review. If you would like more information about today’s book review, or a copy of the book, check the show notes for this podcast episode, or simply visit BookClubReporter.com. 

07:26

Appreciation and Donation Information

 As always, I very much appreciate you all stopping by, listening to my feelings about the books I read. I hope you have enjoyed this book review podcast episode and my book club reporter podcast show. And if you did, feel free to buy me a cup of coffee. Just click the Buy Me a Coffee link in the show notes of this podcast.

 I want to be sure to let my listeners know, I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. 

In plain English, that means if you click on a product link in my podcast show notes, and purchase a product via that product link, I may earn a small fee. For example: If you click the product link, and make a purchase, whether you purchase the book or another product, such as a new comfy bed for your precious pet, or I don’t know, a new set of drapes, I may still earn a small fee. 

08:34

Thank You/Music Outro

 I created this podcast so I could tell everyone about the books I loved reading. I am always working toward being able to afford better equipment to improve the quality of this podcast show for my podcast listeners. So, whether you decide to buy me a cup of coffee, via the link in the podcast notes, or by clicking one of my affiliate product links. I thank you so much in advance for your kindness, you are very much appreciated. 

 
09:03

Sign off

See you all next time.