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A review by sweissman
Henry, Himself by Stewart O'Nan
3.0
Henry, Himself is a charming slice of life book about an older man from Pittsburgh. It captures a year of Henry's life as he goes about his chores and household projects, and interacts with his family, neighbors, and friends.
This book was "boring" but that was the point... it brings to light the beauty that can be found in the mundane and routines of life. What I liked most about the book were Henry's interactions with his wife, Emily. They have a very sweet 'we've been married forever and just get each other' relationship, which made for lots of witty back and forth and marital insight.
I appreciated Henry, Himself for what is, but it was a sluggish read for me and I was very eager to move on to my next book while I was reading it. I went in thinking it would be similar to A Man Called Ove (which I loved!), but this book didn't quite do it for me. If you like slow paced character driven fiction, Henry, Himself may be for you!
This book was "boring" but that was the point... it brings to light the beauty that can be found in the mundane and routines of life. What I liked most about the book were Henry's interactions with his wife, Emily. They have a very sweet 'we've been married forever and just get each other' relationship, which made for lots of witty back and forth and marital insight.
I appreciated Henry, Himself for what is, but it was a sluggish read for me and I was very eager to move on to my next book while I was reading it. I went in thinking it would be similar to A Man Called Ove (which I loved!), but this book didn't quite do it for me. If you like slow paced character driven fiction, Henry, Himself may be for you!