January 16: The Odds: A Love Story by Stewart O’Nan

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The Odds: A Love Story
By Stewart O’Nan

At the heart of “The Odds: A Love Story” are Marion and Art, a couple we might all know, who’ve lived respectable, albeit imperfect, lives. It is Valentine’s weekend, and they are returning to Niagara Falls, the site of their honeymoon, after nearly 30 years of marriage. In his 12th novel, Stewart O’Nan reveals the interplay of hope and despair we live with daily.

Through forces mightier than themselves, Marion and Art are on the brink of bankruptcy; their suburban life, once orderly and respectable, is imploding. Art hatches a plan to further risk it all at a casino in Niagara… and off we go. Marion, sort of along for the ride, is recounting her failures in marriage and her plans to return to Cleveland and file for divorce. Art has purchased a shiny ring to give to Marion, hoping to erase his transgressions and start their marriage anew—as American as they come.

Through the course of the weekend, the couple tour the Falls by day and gamble by night. Their lives are as familiar and distant, as are those of many committed couples. They go from silent resentment to affectionately finishing each other’s sentences.

O’Nan sets up each chapter with the numerical odds of such things as surviving a trip over the Falls in a barrel, marriages lasting more than 30 years, expected number of children per couple, and so on. This novel could be as dismal as some marriages, but O’Nan generously balances the bright possibilities against the dim realities that exist in us all.



Information on Stewart O’Nan’s visit to Wichita (Link)
Stewart O’Nan on All Things Considered (Link)
Stewart O’Nan on Twitter (Link)