Ocean State

By: Stewart O'Nan

Narrated by: Sara Young

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 buildup to and fallout from the murder, told through the alternating perspectives of the four women at its heart. The murderer Angel, her mother Carol, and the victim Birdy, 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

©Stewart O'Nan (P)Dreamscape Media, LLC

Glad she skips the gore.

The author could have given lots of gory details of the killing, but it works better this way, with just enough detail to make clear what happened - it brings out the horror much more effectively.
It’s not easy to do an authentic Rhode Island accent, so I’m glad the voice narrator doesn’t try and get it wrong.
Good read!

Wow, what a story!

I wonder how Stewart O’Nan was able to get inside the minds of teenagers. He is such a good writer.

A heartrending story of loss

Do not miss this heart felt thought-provoking story. I couldn't stop listening to the audiobook.

Good story

I read a preview of this book on LitHub before its release and the first line pulled me in. I was on pins and needles waiting to purchase it and it didn’t disappoint. I will say, however, that the direction it went in was—I don’t know—less than what I expected. Nevertheless, I truly appreciated the author’s ability to give insight into the pathos of the main characters. Also, the narration was pretty good. I would listen to her narrate again.

Pretty good, but a little lacking.

The narrator has a pleasant voice & cadence. Living in Rhode Island, the pronunciations by the narrator of some of the city names were incorrect, but if you don’t know the correct pronunciation, it wouldn’t bother you. The story itself was well written, but was a little confusing at times as to who was speaking at the time. I wish the author had gone into further detail about the murder to explain better what they did & how they did it. Otherwise, it was an interesting story.