Downtown Owl

Downtown Owl is the debut novel of non-fiction writer and essayist Chuck Klosterman. As I read primarily fiction, I was unfamiliar with Klosterman's prior work--which may have been a blessing. I came to this novel with no preconceived notions. And you know what? It's the most delightful debut I've read all year. I loved it! Downtown Owl is a character study, but rather than a close look at a single person, it's a study of a small town. Specifically, a study of Owl, North Dakota from August 1983 to February 1984. It's a close look at several citizens of Owl, such as Mitch, a high school student; Julia, a young teacher new to town; and Horace, an elderly widower and life-long resident. These characters and many others give slices of life that make up the whole of this insular community. And, oh my God is it funny! I listened to this novel as an unabridged audiobook. As a rule, I am not a huge fan of audiobooks, but I give `em a whirl every now and again. This has to be the best produced audiobook I've ever listened to. It was narrated by six different readers--one of them the author himself--and their wonderful performances added immeasurably to my enjoyment of the book. The line readings were priceless. A line as simple as "I love to drink" is flat on the page, but in actress Lily Rabe's hands had me in hysterics. On the bus. It was embarrassing. I could not keep from eruptions of laughter as I listened to this novel. Don't think just because it takes place in a small town that this story is cute or quaint. No, it's just very, very human. As others have noted, this is not a plot-driven novel, but that doesn't mean nothing happens. Small town life happens. The novel opens and closes with the same event, and yet I was still completely unprepared for the poignant ending. Klosterman has told this story with so much warmth and affection, I hope, I hope that he returns to Owl someday.

I'm disappointed at how many people have given this book four stars instead of five. I didn't think there was a false note to it. But I love, love, love character-driven stories. And Klosterman knows these characters well and portrays them with dead-on accuracy. If you live in or were raised in a small town, you know them too. They are ubiquitous to small town life be it in the midwest, the south, or on the east coast. This book was so funny and genuine that even the sad parts made me smile. I sailed through it and savored it and didn't want it to end, and I was sorry to find myself reading the last page. As for the ending which some reviewers have criticized as too sudden, I loved that too. I thought it was perfect.

This review is of the unabridged audio CD of the novel. If I could give this book & the audio production more than 5 stars, I would. I don't know if it resonated so strongly with me because I grew up in a town not much larger than Owl. I don't know if the author was trying to make social commentary about life in rural small towns or human nature. All I know is that I started the final disc in my car on the way to a party an hour's drive out into the country and was so absorbed by and emotionally involved in the unfolding events that I worried I'd arrive before the book was done. Then I'd have to decide whether or not to sit in the car and finish the book as my friends waited inside. The audio production is excellent. The story is told through the lives of several residents of Owl. The three main characters, Mitch Hrlicka (a high school junior), Julia Rabia (a young schoolteacher new to Owl), and Horace Jones (a 73-year old widower and lifelong resident of Owl). Each of these characters has its own narrator. This is one of the best aspects of the production. The different narrators make it easier for the listener to remember whose chapter it is and, more importantly, to connect with the character as a person. The voices seemed to suit the characters very well. At first I was annoyed by the Horace narrator's voice because his reading was very sibilant, much like an old preacher I had whose teeth didn't fit well. After a while, I realized that voice fit Horace perfectly. A couple other people have small sections either narrated by different people or by one of the other narrators using a different vocal inflection. The author also reads some parts. The book starts with a news clipping about a blizzard in early February, 1984. (An actual blizzard, which explains why the author chose to set the story in 1983-84.) But the story unfolds starting at the beginning of the school year in 1983 and paints a picture of the daily lives of the three main characters and the others in their social spheres. The details of everyday life in Owl are fairly mundane but the gradual accumulation made me care about Mitch, Julia and Horace. The author blends in real life events such as references to Gordon Kahl, a former North Dakota resident who shot federal agents trying to arrest him for tax evasion. After several disks, I had all but forgotten the blizzard noted at the beginning of the book. The author has a sly sense of humor and a talented way with words. One of Horace's coffee drinking buddies is named Marvin Windows, which is the name of a large window manufacturer near the Minnesota/North Dakota border. And many of his descriptions of Owl and daily life there made me laugh out loud The end of the book was simply stunning. I don't want to give anything away, but the blizzard I had nearly forgotten stikes suddenly and terrifyingly. If I had been reading a paper copy of the book, I would have been turning the pages as fast as I could re

What I have always enjoyed about Chuck Klosterman is his ability to succinctly comment on popular culture while bringing a strong element of humor to the absurdity of modern times. In Downtown Owl, Klosterman takes a fictional snapshot of small town life and richly interweaves pop references from the early 80's into in-depth descriptions of the inner feelings of his character's in the book. You truly get a sense of the inner struggles faced by lives living in the small fishbowl of a town on the prairie while coming to understand that life is no different there than it is in cities and towns all across the country. A delightful read -- tight, succinct, masterfully laid out and the rolling dialogue keeps the reader engaged -- you will find yourself wanting to know more about the inner thoughts and secrets of each character. I highly recommend this book.

I love Chuck Klosterman's pop culture essays, but was concerned about a fiction novel. I bought this book mostly out of loyalty, but found myself reading at redlights and in the bathtub. This book is about people you know and if you're my age, albums you loved in junior high. I've thought about the citizens of owl driving home from work for the past several days. I'm not one to give anything away in a review, but to relay how it made me feel. I loved it and it haunted me.