A review by leoberenson
Stoner by John Williams

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Stoner is a novel that is so authentic to the human experience. I think a lot of people view something as being more authentic or real or grounded if it’s just like a story that trends towards the unpleasant. But author John Williams knows better. The authentic is not something achieved through unpleasantness, but through genuine honesty. And that is what Stoner achieves: an honest, unashamed portrait of a man’s life as he navigates through the world of early 20th century America, experiencing suffering and success in equal measure. The prose reflects this honest portrait, avoiding most flowery language in favour of directness, something that works in the novel’s favour. I will avoid saying anything more about the novel beyond pleading that you read it, because as far as works of fiction go, it doesn’t get much better or more honest than Stoner.