Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan

Sometimes in life you just want a short, thoughtful book about the manager of a Red Lobster in Connecticut, trying to get through the last day -- snowstorm and all -- before Corporate closes it down. If that time has come to you, the book you need is Last Night at the Lobster.

I've never read Stewart O'Nan before, so I can't tell you how this compares with his other books. But I can say that there's a depth of feeling and a knowledge of character in this slim book that's rare in books of any length.

There isn't a whole lot of of plot here: we follow the manager, Manny, from the moment he arrives in the morning until he leaves the Lobster that evening, and there are no huge events, nothing out of the blue. Last Night at the Lobster is an honest book, and a quiet one. I found it wonderfully true, and I'll be looking for more of O'Nan's books.