We continue with my challenge to get up-to-date on my book related posts by the end of the October, after this one we have at least 5 more books to go in about 2 weeks time!
We are now up to August and Stewart O'Nan's Last Night At The Lobster, which if you look at the cover of the book would make a good read on a cold and snowy winter's night. Alas, that never happens here in Phoenix, but it still did bring back memories of my East Coast winters.
The odd title is fairly easy to explain as the novella (just short of 150 pages) centers around the closing night of a Red Lobster franchise outside a Connecticut mall. So obviously this is a work of fiction as I have never seen a Red Lobster that's not been crazy busy on most nights.
Detour: I never quite "get" the wild popularity of this franchise, just seems like safe, predictable, and generic seafood... which is the same way I feel about Italian food at Olive Garden, though there I'll admit to getting an urge for their salad and bread sticks. Though my disdain for both restaurants makes sense as they are operate under the same corporate tent.
Which gets me back to O'Nan's story as part of the conflict in the book is that some of the Lobster employees will soon be unemployed, while others will be transferring to a nearby Olive Garden franchise, including the protagonist, manager Manny DeLeon. Manny has a difficult task this night, trying to keep everyone motivated to the end and when unsuccessful at that task, keeping the restaurant open for the full shift. One would think this would not be a problem at a mall just days before Christmas, but a driving snowstorm has kept most people off the roads and thus not looking for a shrimp scampi lunch or dinner.
Although I have (quite thankfully) never worked in the food services industry and it was only after finishing the book that I read that O'Nan is considered "the bard of the working class" and I would confirm that he does seem to accurately capture the rivalries, the camaraderie (or lack thereof), the drama of everyday life in a restaurant.
So I give the book a lot of points for atmosphere, though it's kind of a slow-burn story... almost quiet, and that's why I kind of give this a medium-high grade. It's doesn't hit you over the head or wow or suprise you, so I wasn't left with much of a reaction to it, though it has certainly made me wonder what's going on inside that Red Lobster just a mile or so down the road from us.
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