Ocean State

Wonderful, dreamlike. An author to look out for.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

Right from the get go I was drawn into the world that Stewart O’Nan has created in Ocean State. It is a striking and compelling novel exploring the relationships within families and the way in which love can drive you to that dangerous point of no return.

Ocean State tells the story of the Oliviera family, mother Carol and her daughters Angel and Marie. It’s 2009 and they’re down on their luck in the once prosperous Ashaway, Rhode Island. Carol cannot stay away from unsuitable men, Angel is off with her boyfriend Myles and Marie is left alone. Angel’s world is then shattered when she learns Myles has cheated on her with classmate Birdy. As Angel and Birdy’s feelings towards Myles intensify, the trio finds themselves on a collision course that is as tragic as it is inevitable.

Each of main characters within Ocean State felt incredibly real. They were written with such depth that reading about them was as utterly compelling as it was tragic. They are all so flawed and most are doing things that they know are toxic and will come to no good. Aside from Birdy, of all of them I felt most sorry for Marie. O’Nan created in her a perfect blend of strength and vulnerability that came across so beautifully in her narratives.

Ocean State is told from the perspectives of its four main female characters, with it beginning and ending with Marie looking back at what has happened. I really liked the way that O’Nan used each of these characters to tell the story. They each had a clear and distinct voice, adding different elements to the story. Given we know from the outset that Angel was involved in a classmate’s murder it makes Birdy’s narration all the more sombre and chilling - we know long before she ever will what fate awaits her.

Though this is a story about a murder, it is so much more than a murder thriller. This is a story about family, the relationships between mother and daughters, and between sisters. We are witness to the fractured and dysfunctional relationship between Carol and Angel and Marie and the sisterly bond between the girls. Despite its dysfunction there is also that fierce loyalty that a parent has for their child which was shown both beautifully and tragically with Carol. There is also the relationship between Birdy and her mother which was all the more poignant to read about given the outcome.

This was a totally gripping read. It is tragic, utterly compelling and haunting. It’s a tale of small town America and love gone very wrong. I highly recommend it and know it will stick with me for some time.

Love, lies, obsession. Stewart O’Nan’s writing draws you in immediately to this world - very much “show, don’t tell”. A surprisingly perceptive take on what it is like to be a teenage girl and to have a secret. Thank you Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the advance copy.

With a day off from work, this book seemed like the perfect candidate for “read a book in a day”.

Ocean state is a fast-paced and intriguing story, with multiple points of view, but focusing on Marie, and her opening line “When I was in eighth grade my sister helped kill another girl”.

I did in fact read this in a day, but I actually wanted more. More story, more detail, more character depth, more drama. There are so many intriguing potential sub plots here which don’t end up coming to fruition and some of the characters feel more one-dimensional than they could be.

I liked this a lot but wish there had been more.

3.5 stars

I loved this style of writing but I just didn't quite get any of the characters, my teenage years weren't that long ago but I couldn't relate that well. Saying that I'm sure lots of people would and I'd be interested to see what the other does next. It's quietly gripping and before you know it you're halfway through.

It all starts with: "When I was in eighth grade my sister helped kill another girl." This is a story about a teenage love triangle gone wrong.

I've never been to Rhode Island, but I feel as if I have been after reading this book. I can relate to the small-town vibe and high school drama. My teenage years were awkward and stressful and reading a book like this forces you to revisit your own youth, which I'd frankly rather not do! Teenagers can be so horrible!

While I'll always prefer reading adult content over young adult, O'Nan is a fantastic writer, and he certainly understands the mind of a teenager.

As a foodie, I was happy to learn about the Rhode Island "coffee cabinet" (essentially a coffee milkshake) and happy to see mention of Tom Colicchio, although I think he would consider serving pre-cut steak to be sacrilegious!

Thank you to the author, Atlantic Books, Grove Press UK, and NetGalley for an advance review copy in exchange for this honest review. #OceanState #NetGalley

Ocean State is a quiet and yet propulsive novel delving into love and the things it makes us do.

“When I was in eighth grade my sister helped kill another girl. She was in love, my mother said, like it was an excuse,” socially awkward and Marie tells us in the first few lines.

And Marie knows exactly the kind of senseless, destructive things love can make you do: she and her older and popular sister Angel have seen happen over and over again with their mother, as she stumbled into a series of failing and abusive relationship, swayed and pulled in all directions by the men in her life. Dragging her helpless, increasingly bitter daughters along with her.

Ocean State retraces the events and the choices that led Angel, Marie’s pretty and popular older sister, to commit the murder. With incredible compassion and humanity, we witness it from different POVs: Marie’s, Angel’s, and the helpless, lovestruck victim’s, Birdy. All of it takes place against the backdrop of working class America, made sharper by the wealth of Birdy and Angel’s love interest, Myles.

Don’t expect turns and twists. Angel’s motivation and inner workings are not immediately apparent, either, and may appear glossed over. More than an explosion, Ocean State is a millennium of rain: slowly, and steadily, eroding mountains drop after drop. You will be left aching, tenderly, for these women and girls, and for the choices that they never had.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A really intriguing story that is about much more than a teenage murderer. I found the story, told from the perspectives of two sisters and the victim, to be a really seamless way to narrate the story. A quiet but gripping story.

This is a story about mothers and daughters; their own personal worries about love, and social status, as well as their relationship with each other. Well crafted characters all trying to navigate and survive their personal lives in whatever way they feel is right.
Two female protagonists in particular and how they respond to the pain of love; its lies and obsessions. The story paints a life surrounding the main teenage characters but emerges into a sad tale of a troubled family whose daughter has committed an unforgiveable crime and no family member is left unaffected by this.
We also follow the youngest daughter in the family and how she navigates her mother, her mother’s boyfriends and her sister’s dominance over her as well as the typical obsessional thoughts of a 13 year old girl.
I applaud O’Nan’s ability for writing female characters of all ages, so well and look forward to reading further novels by Stewart O’Nan.