by Stewart O’Nan
First sentence: “Mall traffic on a gray winter’s day, stalled.”
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Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs. It’s in the adult fiction section of the bookstore.

In a rundown mall complex in a rundown town in the Northeast, employees at a Red Lobster are having their final night. Corporate decided to shut the restaurant down, and the manager – Manny – was forced to let go of everyone but five that are coming with him to Olive Garden. Most of his employees don’t show up for the last shift, four days before Christmas, which is fine, since a blizzard set in. They’re slow, they’re shorthanded, but dang it, Manny is going to see this last shift through.

It’s a short, reflective novel, taking place over the course of 12 hours or so. Manny is regretting the end of his affair with a waitress, juggling all the employees who didn’t show up, and wondering if he chose the right people or did the right thing. Not much happens – there are customers, and anyone who has worked a service job recognizes them. But, it’s a beautifully written book, and so I didn’t mind the lack of plot so much.

It’s set at Christmas, but I’m not sure it’s a Christmas book. It’s very melancholy, and it shows the effects of decisions made by suits in faraway places. It makes you think about capitalism and the working class and the way we treat service workers. It’s a good book, even if I don’t think I truly loved it.