Ocean State

A quiet and detailed meditation of the human condition, which is truly O'Nan's sweet spot, Ocean State is a marvel. When you intentionally drain the propulsive suspense from the story, as O'Nan does here (but I would posit there is still a smattering of suspenseful moments, albeit, understated moments), you are taking a calculated risk. While some Goodreads reviewers determined that this decision fails - I found the character building and the examination of grief, obsession, motivation, class and relationships riveting in the best of slow-burn ways. I was moved, but that's not something new when it comes to O'Nan's work for me. Ocean State is a deliberately understated gem.

We know who the murderer is from the very first line of Ocean State, but finding out who did the murder is not the reason we keep reading. Instead, we read on to see the lives of the working-class in Rhode Island. It's a compelling portrait and we find we cannot look away, even when the people take us places we would prefer not to go.