Last Night at the Lobster

Last updated
Last Night at the Lobster
Last Night at the Lobster.jpg
Author Stewart O'Nan
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Viking Press [1]
Allen & Unwin [2]
Publication date
5 November 2007 [1]
Pages146 [1]
ISBN 978-0-670-01827-7

Last Night at the Lobster is a novella by American writer Stewart O'Nan, [3] published in 2007.

Contents

Plot

The story centres around manager Manny DeLeon and the last shift and closure of a Red Lobster restaurant in New Britain, Connecticut. [4] [5]

O'Nan has said that he was prompted to write the book after reading about a real Red Lobster restaurant which was closed overnight and thinking about "the off-kilter relationship between corporate ownership vs. local constituents". [6]

Response

Response to Last Night at the Lobster has been generally positive. A starred review in The Atlantic commended the book as a "melancholy but never bitter story of a decent guy trying to do the right thing" and O'Nan's writing as able to "coax poetry from the prosaic". [7] Mark Athitakis writing for the Star Tribune called Last Night at the Lobster "a modern classic about shift work". [8] Kirkus Reviews described the book as "very low-key, but haunting and quietly provocative". [1]

In his review for The New York Times , Nathaniel Rich calls the novella "a methodical, minute-by-minute account" of the day but said that O'Nan "can evoke the tedium of the job too effectively", noting the "five full pages" describing the use of a snowblower to clear snow from around the restaurant. [9]

Ian Chipman from Booklist praised O'Nan for his description of the "brisk rushes and dreary lulls" of the restaurant environment, but commented that the work was "intriguing but limited" and "streches, rather than flexes, O'Nan's considerable talent". [10]

Ron Charles from The Washington Post recommended the novella in his top 10 reads for Labor Day, calling the story "quietly moving" and a "clear-eyed insight into the way millions of people work and get laid off in America". [11]

Upon its release it was chosen as one of Entertainment Weekly's 10 best books of 2007, [12] and it was longlisted for the 2009 IMPAC Dublin prize. [13] In a 2020 article, author and critic Maureen Corrigan named Last Night at the Lobster as "one of [her] favourite books of all time". [14]

Related Research Articles

The International Dublin Literary Award, established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. It promotes excellence in world literature and is solely sponsored by Dublin City Council, Ireland. At €100,000, the award is one of the richest literary prizes in the world. If the winning book is a translation, the prize is divided between the writer and the translator, with the writer receiving €75,000 and the translator €25,000. The first award was made in 1996 to David Malouf for his English-language novel Remembering Babylon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Lobster</span> American casual dining restaurant chain

Red Lobster Hospitality, LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company has operations across most of the United States and Canada, as well as in China, Ecuador, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates; as of June 23, 2020, the company had 719 locations worldwide. Golden Gate Capital was Red Lobster's parent company after it was acquired from Darden Restaurants on July 28, 2014. Seafood supplier Thai Union acquired a 25 percent stake in the company in 2016 for a reported $575 million, and in 2020 purchased the remaining portion from GGC.

Stewart O'Nan is an American novelist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Bergen</span> Canadian writer

David Bergen is a Canadian novelist. He has published eleven novels and two collections of short stories since 1993 and is currently based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. His 2005 novel The Time in Between won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and he was a finalist again in 2010 and 2020, making the long list in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maureen Johnson</span> American author of young adult fiction

Maureen Johnson is an American author of young adult fiction. Her published novels include series leading titles such as 13 Little Blue Envelopes, The Name of the Star, Truly Devious, and Suite Scarlett. Among Johnson's works are collaborative efforts such as Let It Snow, a holiday romance novel of interwoven stories co-written with John Green and Lauren Myracle, and a series of novellas found in New York Times bestselling anthologies The Bane Chronicles, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, and Ghosts of the Shadow Market.

<i>Odd and the Frost Giants</i> Novel by Neil Gaiman

Odd and the Frost Giants (2008) is a World Book Day book by Neil Gaiman. It draws on Norse mythology and also the historical Vikings.

Kevin Barry is an Irish writer. He is the author of three collections of short stories and three novels. City of Bohane was the winner of the 2013 International Dublin Literary Award. Beatlebone won the 2015 Goldsmiths Prize and is one of seven books by Irish authors nominated for the 2017 International Dublin Literary Award, the world's most valuable annual literary fiction prize for books published in English. His 2019 novel Night Boat to Tangier was longlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize. Barry is also an editor of Winter Papers, an arts and culture annual.

<i>The House in the Night</i> 2008 childrens picture book

The House in the Night is a children's picture book written by Susan Marie Swanson and illustrated by Beth Krommes. Published in 2008, the book is a bedtime verse about the light in a house during the night. Krommes won the 2009 Caldecott Medal for her illustrations.

<i>Faithful Place</i> Book by Tana French

Faithful Place is a 2010 crime novel by Tana French. The book is set in Dublin, featuring undercover detective Frank Mackey, who was a supporting character in French's previous novel, The Likeness. It is the third installment of French's loosely related Dublin Murder Squad series. Each follows a case in the heart of Ireland, with overlapping, complex characters that get involved in cases tied to their pasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maureen Corrigan</span> American author, scholar, and literary critic

Maureen Corrigan is an American author, scholar, and literary critic. She is the book critic on the NPR radio program Fresh Air and writes for the "Book World" section of The Washington Post. In 2014, she wrote So We Read On, a book on the origins and power of The Great Gatsby. In 2005, she published a literary memoir Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books. Corrigan was awarded the 2018 Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing by the National Book Critics Circle for her reviews on Fresh Air on NPR and in The Washington Post, and the 1999 Edgar Award for Criticism by the Mystery Writers of America for her book, Mystery & Suspense Writers, with Robin W. Cook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christina Lauren</span> American writing duo

Christina Lauren, the combined pen name of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, is an American author duo of contemporary fiction, teen fiction and romance novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwame Alexander</span> American writer of poetry and childrens fiction (born 1968)

Kwame Alexander is American poet, educator, publisher, Emmy® Award-winning producer, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of 40 books, including poetry, memoir, and children's fiction. His mission is to change the world, one word at a time.

Amie Kaufman is an Australian author. She has authored New York Times bestselling and internationally bestselling science fiction and fantasy for young adults. She is known for the Starbound Trilogy and Unearthed, which she co-authored with Meagan Spooner; for her series The Illuminae Files, co-authored with Jay Kristoff; and for her solo series, Elementals. Her books have been published in over 35 countries.

<i>You Will Know Me</i> Novel by Megan Abbott

You Will Know Me is a murder mystery written by Megan Abbott, published July 26, 2016 by Little, Brown and Company. The book follows the Knox family after a family friend is killed in a hit-and-run car crash before the daughter's gymnastics competition.

<i>The Portable Veblen</i> 2016 novel by Elizabeth McKenzie

The Portable Veblen is a 2016 novel by Elizabeth McKenzie. It is about a young woman, Veblen, and her relationships with her fiancé Paul, their families, and squirrels.

<i>Outlawed</i> (novel) 2021 novel by Anna North

Outlawed is a 2021 novel by American writer Anna North.

<i>The Final Revival of Opal & Nev</i> 2021 historical fiction novel by Dawnie Walton

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a 2021 historical fiction novel by Dawnie Walton published by 37 Ink. It received the 2022 Virginia Commonwealth University Cabell First Novelist Award, the 2022 Aspen Words Literary Prize, and was nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction.

Laurel Molk is an illustrator and author of children's books.

Carolyn Crimi is an author of children's picture books.

<i>If I Survive You</i> 2022 book by Jonathan Escoffery

If I Survive You is the debut book by Jonathan Escoffery, published on September 6, 2022. It is a collection of eight interlinked short stories that follow the struggles of an immigrant family from Jamaica who build a new home in Miami. The story's main character is Trelawny, an American-born son of immigrants who grapples with identity, familial and cultural issues through various phases of adolescence and adulthood.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Last Night At The Lobster". Kirkus Reviews . 15 August 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  2. Kevin Gildea (6 January 2018). "Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan". The Irish Times . Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  3. Beth Carswell. "The Best Novellas: Literature's Middle Child". AbeBooks . Archived from the original on 30 August 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  4. Sherry Linkon (5 July 2016). "To Really Understand Working-Class Voters, Read These Books". BillMoyers.com . Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  5. Emily M. Olson (16 March 2022). "Torrington bookstore owner makes discovery with CT connection". The Register Citizen. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  6. Robin Vidimos (8 November 2007). ""Last Night at the Lobster"". The Denver Post . Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  7. "Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan" . The Atlantic . 301 (1): 132. January–February 2008. ProQuest   223086462 . Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  8. Mark Athitakis (5 April 2019). "Review: 'Henry, Himself,' by Stewart O'Nan". Star Tribune . Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  9. Nathaniel Rich (5 November 2007). "Book Review: Last Night at the Lobster". The New York Times . Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  10. Ian Chipman (1 November 2007). "Last Night at the Lobster" . Booklist . 104 (5): 27. ProQuest   235593335.
  11. Ron Charles (1 September 2013). "10 novels to work on for Labor Day". The Washington Post . Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  12. Jennifer Reese (20 December 2007). "The Best Books of 2007". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  13. Lindesay Irvine (12 November 2008). "147 authors fight it out for the Impac Dublin prize". The Guardian . Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  14. Maureen Corrigan (13 April 2020). "Need A Mental Escape? These Books Offer Solace In Troubled Times". NPR . Retrieved 5 January 2023.