Last Night

The other day I read Stewart O'Nan's tiny little gem of a novel, Last Night at the Lobster, all in one sitting. It tells the story of Manny DeLeon, the dedicated and sensitive manager of a Red Lobster restaurant in New Britain, Connecticut, on the last day and night that they're open. The corporate powers-that-be have determined that that particular location is not showing good enough numbers, so they're being shut down. Manny will move into an assistant manager's position at an Olive Garden in a neighboring town, but he's allowed to take only five of his employees with him.

To complicate matters, it's just a few days before Christmas, and Manny still hasn't found an appropriately romantic gift for his pregnant girlfriend, Deena—nor has he gotten over his former girlfriend, Jacquie, a waitress at the restaurant. And, as if all that weren't enough, there's a major blizzard rolling in.

The descriptions of the day-to-day routines of a chain restaurant are spot-on (as confirmed by this former Memory Lane waitress), and the interrelationships among the chefs, waiters, manager, hostess, bartender, and customers (from the elderly couples to the stroller-pushing moms) are shown rather than told.

All in all, a wonderful read, even though it lasts only a couple of hours. Too much more and it would have gotten tedious, but I did wonder what would happen on Monday at the Olive Garden in Bristol.

Comments

[amy]

Karen,
I also loved this gem of a book. It was so sweet and well-written, and as a former waitress of a now-defunct restaurant on Cape Cod, I can also relate to the interpersonal dramas that exist between waitstaff, staff and kitchen. Oh, and the customers too.

Hope you are enjoying Angle of Repose, another one of my favorite writers. Another great read is Dad by William Wharton. The movie (old, with Ted Danson) sucked I thought, but the book is so rich and wonderful with description and feeling, I think you'd really enjoy it.

How about a blog with all your readers listing their summer reading wish lists? You've got great taste and so do your readers...

[Elena]

Can't wait to read it! I'm going to recommend this to my book group, especially since it has that local flavor for us here in Connecticut.

[Kathy]

I loved that book!! I read it well over a year ago and still can pull up scenes & the mood from the book.