It’s like a literary version of Annie Hall. His style is peppered with experimentations, like a passage formatted to one of Mitch’s test, or another translating the dialogue between Julia and the man she’s infatuated with. Klosterman creates a population that’s quirky despite its dullness, each person uniquely memorable and most, even semi-villians, are sympathetic. And like any town of 800, they’re connected, even if only on the most casual terms.Īfter all, everyone knows everyone and everything about them.ĭowntown Owl is an easy, quick read, with each character taking turns, getting a short chapter devoted to their perspective on a different day (and sometimes minor characters get an opportunity as well). Horace is a 73-year-old widower, spending his afternoons repeating conversations in the local coffee shop.īetween Mitch’s social awkwardness, Julia’s romantic insecurity, and Horace’s shame, the three are incredibly relatable. Julia, a 20-something teacher, just moved to town and has discovered that new, single women are a commodity hotter than corn she and her friends never pay for drinks. Mitch is 16 and he plays football, even though he’s not sure why. The central figures of the novel are Mitch Hrlicka, Julia Rabia, and Horace Jones. And everyone knows everyone and everything about them, even if they don’t. The movie theater is closing, but the bowling alley is thriving.
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