Gone So Long: A Novel

It's strange sitting here trying to write a review for the book you've most anticipated for the year, and now that it's finally here I can say Gone So Long was worth the wait. No one writes characters so fully, so deeply realized, as Andre Dubus III and that skill is on display here in his first full-length novel in a decade. Gone So Long is a slow burn. Especially compared to the rest of his books. There were some times in the middle where I wondered if it was overly indulgent or navel-gazing, and even upon finishing it I cannot tell if it was or not. It'll take subsequent readings to know for sure, but I can say I will be picking this up again in the future.

Chaos and loneliness are a recurring theme in this brilliantly conceived novel. This is for good reason. It immediately grabbed me because of the many voices that tell us the story all speak of the most important aspects to them. It is especially realistic, as we all have our own views of the same events that differ drastically. Like a song being instrumentally played by different people, it is chaotic and real. Life is messy and we can only hear the parts we play consistently, but we want to be heard, to know we are worthy, loved.This book left me with a profound sense of how much we wish to be loved, but how we send conflicting signals. Clarity is easy to be had when looking at those you don't know, but we are myopic when it comes to our own relationships. How can we all want love, but so often hamper our acquisition by our actions?This book has so much to say, but I think that different people will hear what they can, or want to. This book is well worth reading. It is a tale of the human condition, and we are human, we err. What will strike a chord in you as you are reading this? Only you will be able to find that out, and I hope that you do. This novel is simple and yet, so complex. It is the work of a skilled author who seeks to give readers a look at life, the one that only you can see

I had a chance to meet the author 10 years ago in Atlanta at a talk he gave. I have never forgotten his intensity as he talked about his time growing up. Gone So Long seems to reflect his youth with the same intensity. The story is like a candle burning surely and steadily at both ends with the reader on one hand saying No No No! and on the other saying Yes yes yes! It’s the best book I’ve read in a long time. I’ll say In at least 10 years.

Daniel Ahearn lives a quiet, solitary existence in a seaside New England town. Forty years ago, following a shocking act of impulsive violence on his part, his daughter, Susan, was ripped from his arms by police. Now in her forties, Susan still suffers from the trauma of a night she doesn’t remember, as she struggles to feel settled, to love a man and create something that lasts. Lois, her maternal grandmother who raised her, tries to find peace in her antique shop in a quaint Florida town but cannot escape her own anger, bitterness, and fear. Cathartic, affirming, and steeped in the empathy and precise observations of character for which Dubus is celebrated, Gone So Long explores how the wounds of the past afflict the people we become, and probes the limits of recovery and absolution.My Thoughts: The story opens as Susan starts writing about her childhood experiences, and about some fleeting memories of her father’s visits to his parole officer. Throughout the book, her creative moments reveal much about her own life and trauma.Alternating narrators for Gone So Long include Susan, her father Daniel, and her grandmother Lois.All the narrators sweep back and forth in time, offering a slowly evolving tale of what has happened to each of them.I especially enjoyed Susan’s voice, and while Danny/Daniel appealed to my sense of a character seeking redemption, it was hard to get past what he had done.Lois, Susan’s grandmother, was somewhat unlikable, but I could also enjoy parts of her shared moments and admired how she had created a successful antique store. She seemed judgmental, but as the story moved along, we could see her trying to be more empathetic.As we follow Daniel on his journey toward his daughter, and as we accept his flashbacks as his way of acknowledging his sins, we can finally hope that father and daughter will connect in some way. But there is also a hint of a combustible reunion that will turn everything on its head. I held my breath as the pages turned, wondering what the characters would do next, feeling their joy and sadness along with their regrets, and anticipating how their paths would eventually cross. 4.5 stars.

Absolutely beautiful book. I loved it so much I didn’t want it to end. A very emotional read. The characters were beautifully written and believable. Loved it.