Stoner

John Williams's 1965 novel, Stoner, is the most moving work of fiction I have read in a very long time, and I am afraid that I will not be able to adequately explain why I feel that way. But I will try.

On its surface, the plot of Stoner is very spare: William Stoner grows up in straightened circumstances on a midwest farm, gets a break, goes to agricultural college, falls surprisingly in love with English literature, gets s PhD, a teaching job, a wife, a daughter, a long career. Then he dies. The beauty of the story is how brilliantly Williams describes Stoner's hopes, passions, heartbreaks and his dogged pursuit of an academic accomplishment he can be proud of -- one that will, perhaps, adequately honor his deep love for literature. It is left to the reader to decide whether he achieves this (or whether it matters if he does). Along the way, we witness Stoner's bleak family life, juxtaposed with a brief, happy interlude and the life he might have lived had he chosen differently.

Williams's prose is perfect for the task: simple and clear, with no misplaced words.

Reviews of this work that I have read often contain comments such as "I can't believe this book is not more famous." I agree.

-Paul