"Henry, Himself," by Stewart O'Nan

Stewart O’Nan is one of my most-admired contemporary writers, a true student of human nature. My favorite book by him is “Emily, Alone,” about which I wrote here on 5/17/11. His new novel, “Henry, Himself” (Viking, 2019) is also a masterpiece. This novel is a prequel to “Emily, Alone,” depicting the life of Emily and her husband Henry before he died. Henry is a sort of Everyman who lives in Pittsburgh, is an engineer, and tries to live an honorable life. He is somewhat limited in his thinking at times, but is (usually) self-aware about his limitations, and tries to overcome them. He does his best at work and at home, and as he ages, wonders if he has done the right things in life. His style, and the style of the writing, is plain, simple, and understated. It is through the abundant small details, the descriptions of the routines of Henry’s life, that we build up a picture of him and other men of his type. This novel reminds me of Evan Connell’s “Mr. Bridge” and of John Williams' “Stoner.” The main characters in all three novels are somewhat trapped by society’s expectations of men, and all three characters stolidly and without drawing attention to themselves try to fulfill those expectations. They are all flawed but good men. I highly recommend this novel.