by Morgan O’Grady

When I started reading John Williams’ Stoner with the half-heartedness I feel after a long semester, I wasn’t expecting to become enthralled with the story. A very dear friend had been raving about this particular novel for over a year, and I had brought it with me on my winter break trip. William Stoner goes off to college with his parents’ hopes in his back-pocket. The novel follows his life from 19 to death. He was supposed to learn about soil conservation, and after four years come home to help the family farm. Instead, he falls in love with literature. He goes on to get his Phd, and becomes a professor at a southern university. He gets married, has a child, an affair, worries about being a good teacher, and gets sick. The quiet nature of suffering propels this novel into being the type of read that is hard to put down. I became addicted to what would happen to Stoner and the choices he would make along the way. If you are looking for a novel to read, want to go on a journey with a character, then pick up or check out a copy of Williams’ Stoner.