Ohio: A Novel (by Stephen Markley)
I was drawn to read Ohio by Stephen Markley because I grew up in Ohio. The simple title of the novel had me feeling nostalgic and intrigued. Set in New Canaan, four former classmates return home on the same day in 2013, with a purpose. New Canaan is a small town impacted by a recession, opioid epidemic, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The story is told from the perspective of each main character. First is Bill Ashcraft, an alcoholic and drug abuser who has traveled the world and is delivering a package to New Canaan. Next is Stacey Moore, a doctoral student who returns to meet with her former lover’s mother. Then, we meet Dan Eaton who is a military veteran. He returns home to have dinner with a former high school girlfriend. Lastly, is Tina Ross, former girlfriend of the high school football quarterback. The reason for her return is completely sinister.
I feel like I have had a strange relationship with this novel. Initially, I struggled to connect with the book. I didn’t feel grounded, as though I had a good understanding of what was happening and where this story was taking me. I contemplated pressing pause and trying again at another time. As I continued listening, I began vacillating between being drawn into Bill Ashcraft’s story and being disinterested and bored. As soon as Stacey Moore’s story began, my interest was piqued, and the book had my full attention until the end.
Interesting how our high school years are truly so formative and how naïve we are to that fact at the time. The relationships we develop and later lose, the successes, and the tragedies are what really shape us for adulthood. The classroom learning is so insignificant and forgettable compared to the real-life lessons we learn through our experiences. The conclusion of this novel left me a bit paralyzed; needing time to process and decipher my thoughts about it. This is a book I struggled to connect with in the beginning and as I neared the end, I knew I was going go miss these characters. It’s a heavy read with a lot of graphic descriptors that convey the shocking realities for these four traumatized characters. Author Stephen Markley is an incredible writer. The way he describes scenes and expresses the characters’ emotions just exudes amazing talent.
I’m glad I read this book. In fact, I kind of want to read it again. Knowing what I know now, I may have a different perception of Bill’s story. There are many other characters intertwined with the four main characters and I got confused several times. I think a re-read would help me better grasp some connections I likely missed.
I purchased the audiobook from Audible. The large cast of narrators was a perfect fit for the structure of the story. Each character has a different narrator, which includes Caitlin Davies, Jayme Mattler, Joy Osmanski, Jonathan Todd Ross, Corey Brill, and Gibson Frazier.
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