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    Songs for the Missing: A Novel
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    Songs for the Missing: A Novel
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    Songs for the Missing: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    Songs for the Missing: A Novel

    Written by Stewart O'Nan

    Narrated by Emily Janice Card

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    An enthralling portrait of one family in the aftermath of a daughter's disappearance.It was the summer of her Chevette, of J.P. and letting her hair grow. It was also the summer when, without warning, popular high school student Kim Larsen disappeared from her small midwestern town. Her loving parents, her introverted sister, her friends and boyfriend must now do everything they can to find her. As desperate search parties give way to pleading television appearances, and private investigations yield to personal revelations, we see one town's intimate struggle to maintain hope and, finally, to live with the unknown.Stewart O'Nan's new novel begins with the suspense and pacing of a thriller and soon deepens into an affecting family drama of loss. On the heels of his critically acclaimed and nationally bestselling Last Night at the Lobster, Songs for the Missing is an honest, heartfelt account of one family's attempt to find their child. With a soulful empathy for these ordinary heroes, O'Nan draws us into the world of this small American town and allows us to feel a part of this family.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 30, 2008
    ISBN9781440656743
    Unavailable
    Songs for the Missing: A Novel
    Author

    Stewart O'Nan

    Stewart O’Nan’s award-winning fiction includes Snow Angels, A Prayer for the Dying, Last Night at the Lobster, and Emily, Alone. His novel The Odds was hailed by The Boston Globe as “a gorgeous fable, a stunning meditation and a hope-filled Valentine.” Granta named him one of America’s Best Young Novelists. He was born and raised and lives in Pittsburgh. 

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    Reviews for Songs for the Missing

    3.5/5

    324 ratings57 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I spent a long time deciding what rating to give this book. Some review that I read, the people said it was slow...it was. They said it was boring...indeed, sometimes it was. They said that Stewart O' Nan portrayed the characters like real people facing the disappearance of an 18 year old daughter...he certainly did. He made the family and the entire small Ohio town "real"...sometimes almost too real as he allowed the reader to feel what Kim's parents, her 15 year old sister, her friends that lied to the police to begin with...and even Cooper, the family dog...felt as they struggled for 18 long months to hold their family together and endlessly...tirelessly, search for Kim...the missing part of their hearts....and how in spite of everything, life simply must go on.
    • 5/5
      I would read a phone book written by Stewart O'Nan. He knows just the perfect detail to include to immediately draw the reader in and identify with his characters and their experiences. This novel is about the aftermath of the disappearance of an 18-year old girl. The different ways in which her parents, and her sister, and her friends cope with her absence and the mystery surrounding it, are illustrated in vignettes told from various perspectives. What I loved was how the characters were all distinct and how O'Nan gave them each their own story but ultimately brought them all to the same place, as if acknowledging the importance of the paths we take, as opposed to the destination we come to.
    • 3/5
      i hate to say i found this book to be boring. i did finish it, but i didn't love it. there were alot of missing details and i just didn't care much about the characters.
    • 4/5
      A taut story that gives a sense of story weaving against a constant unknown. Showcases the talent of a brillant writer
    • 4/5
      A taut story that gives a sense of story weaving against a constant unknown. Showcases the talent of a brillant writer
    • 3/5
      A solid book, but I wasn't as emotionally invested as I was with A Prayer for the Dying.
    • 3/5
      I've often thought that novels conveniently focus on characters who don't seem to need to worry about ordinary things, like paying the bills, or who have regular jobs. Regular, everyday people, in other words. This novel does just that. It tells the story of very ordinary people experiencing a truly awful situation: the disappearance and possible murder of a young woman close to them. Although it begins with her experiences and POV prior to disappearance, this really isn't her story. It's the story of her parents, sister, boyfriend, and best friend as they experience her loss. It took several attempts before I could fall into this story, perhaps I just had to be in the mood for it. But once I did, I found it interesting enough to keep me going, but still oddly unsatisfying. I suspect that this is because the characters were just what I thought I had wanted. Very ordinary people. I couldn't feel any emotional connection with any of them, perhaps because it focuses mostly on what they do, and what they don't feel. We hear little of their interior dialogue. I still don't really understand their motivations and can only guess at them. In the end, the story just ends. No idea what happens in future, and I find myself not really caring, either. Overall, the time spent on this book was worthwhile, but I don't think I'd recommend it as a good read to others.
    • 5/5
      This is a moving book about the loss of a loved one. The plot is centered around a missing teenage daughter, but it's more about what the girl's family and friends go through as a result of her disappearance than it is about the mystery of what's happened to her. It's not the easiest book to read because it's certainly not uplifting, but O'Nan takes a profound look at the interconnectedness of family and friends and the aftershocks of loss. This book raises questions like, is it better to know hope is lost, or to continue hoping when hope should be gone? A wonderful book.
    • 3/5
      Grief and hope quietly take over the life of a family waiting to learn what happened to their daughter. Just weeks before she is to leave for college, she vanishes. O'Nan portrays the emotional roller-coaster family and friends experience between the time she disappears and the time of her return (do not worry, that was not a spoiler). Despite the subject matter, this story lacks a key element - the ability to evoke empathy. The reader does not feel the depth of the family's or friends' pain. It is a fundamental component that takes away from the quality of O'Nan's narrative. This is usually where the author excels. As a result, the novel drags on, leaving the reader bored through out most of the book. It is unfortunate, I have come to expect more from him.
    • 4/5
      Don't pick up this book expecting some kind of mystery a la Tru TV. The reviewers who note that nothing happens, to the book's detriment, kind of miss the point. O'Nan takes us on the plodding journey of those who are left behind when one of their own disappears. The petty frustrations, the short sharp bursts of humor, and the excruciating business of getting on with life when there's a huge hole at the center of it are the point of the story. If I had a complaint about the book, it would be that some of the characters seem to act and think inconsistently--the parents in particular. But a strong argument can be made that humans rarely, if ever, act consistently in real life. Particularly when faced with a life-altering trajedy. The resolution of Kim's disappearance too left something to be desired, although I suspect that was intentional on the part of the author. Again, this isn't a mystery that wraps up in a surprise twist and a neat bow at the end. The beauty of the story is in the interwoven threads of the tapestry, not the big picture it makes.
    • 3/5
      A typical high school senior in a Lake Erie town, Kim Larsen goes missing. Much of the book is a macro-level view of her family’s days after it happens, not especially interesting, even mundane, except in light of the fact that they struggle to maintain a sense of normality when nothing can be normal. Everything you might want to know about a missing persons search and how one motivated family goes about it is here. Also, the draining emotion of the missing Kim being in their thoughts. Always.
    • 2/5
      I managed to finish this book, not that it was badly written but nothing happened. It was boring. I do not need books with lots of action but something appeared to me to be missing and I cannot put the finger on it.

    • 5/5
      Stewart O'Nan is at the top of his game in this disturbing and extremely moving portrait of a family that has suffered an irreparable loss. But SONGS FOR THE MISSING is much more than just a suspense novel about a missing child. It is about all that it means to be human, including the pain. O'Nan is one of those rare writers who can hold his readers in the palm of his hand, slowly clenching that hand into a fist until they feel that pain. I was reminded of some of the best work of the late Frederick Busch. This is a book that will haunt you. It is contemporary fiction at its finest.
    • 4/5
      It is an interesting story about a family whose daughter has been kidnapped. The story starts with the last hours of this young adult and her friends and her family's normal life before the abduction. After that, the main characters way of changing their attitudes, feelings and adaptation to a life without Kim are carefully worded. There is no craving for sensation, on the contrary the story shows how people come to terms with the incomprehensible act.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic. O'Nan delivers once again (there's a reason he's one of my favorite authors) in this portrayal of a family caught in wait mode. I can't say much more without giving too many spoilers but I was immersed in the story and enjoyed his device of hinting at the 'story within a story' while never actually giving us anything definitive; rather I was very intent on the main story of the disappearance. Try him, you won't regret it. If not this, another O'Nan for sure!
    • 5/5
      I find O'Nan unparalleled in his ability to bring a character to life. In this novel, I was bowled over and totally gripped by the insight into this ordinary American family who loses a daughter/sister and tries to come to terms with her disappearance, first clinging to hope then gradually losing it, trying to move on, as best they can. Each main character is very well-portrayed, in a realistic yet sympathetic manner. Everything they feel and think rings true. All the details of their lives made me feel close to them. I found the plot very gripping and the end both powerful and gut-wrenching.
    • 2/5
      I had a very hard time with this book for several reasons. First, because of the intensity of the situation with which it deals. What could be worse than losing a child and not knowing what happened. Second, because this book is more about character and emotion than plot. I find plot-based books much easier reading. Third, because of the permeating sadness and tragedy. I did not dislike the book. I just had to walk away from it.
    • 3/5
      i hate to say i found this book to be boring. i did finish it, but i didn't love it. there were alot of missing details and i just didn't care much about the characters.
    • 3/5
      In the summer before leaving for college, Kim Larsen disappears. This is the story of her family and friends and how they react to and cope with her disappearance. It is very real in its portrayal of the emotions that people go through, from shock and denial to acceptance. There are times when people are frantic in searching for Kim, but as time goes on, memories inevitably fade and life goes on. This isn't a plot-driven novel; not a mystery with a resolution. So, it won't be for everyone. I enjoyed it because I thought it rang true.
    • 3/5
      Songs for the Missing is the poignant story of family and friends in the aftermath of eighteen-year-old Kim Larsen's disappearance. It is very realistic and touching, and explores a variety of emotions both in the days immediately following the disappearance, and later as friends lives begin to move on without Kim. It's not a mystery/suspense with a gripping plot, though, and I found it a little hard to stay with it.
    • 2/5
      Boring, and I never felt any suspense, fear, dread or even sadness while reading. Given the topic I expected to feel suspense and fear especially, and all I was during reading this was bored. I felt nothing for any of the characters, and did not care about the ending either.
    • 3/5
      Audiobook...........There is nothing particularly unique about this story of a teenage girl gone missing and the experiences of the family. It seems most likable for its tender dealings with the emotions of the sister who must continue on. It is a story about the impact which missing someone has on individuals and families. I have had much stronger feelings about previous novels by Stewart O'Nan.....so I recommend starting with a different one of his works.
    • 5/5
      This is a powerful novel about any parent's worst nightmare- the sudden dissapearance of a child. O'Nan focuses on the effect that disappearance has on the people left behind- the anxious parents, the bewildered sister, the guilt-ridden friends. As the police investigation and search stall, the Larsen family graducally faces the possibility that they might never find an answer to what happened to Kim on that summer afternoon. The story is both poignant and terrifying- a truly excellent read. Highly recommended!
    • 4/5
      As with Last Night at the Lobster, this novel gives us more insight into the social ties between family and community than most sociological studies focused on the topic. In this case, O'Nan explores the ramifications of having a college age kid unexpectedly, suddenly and tragically removed from her family. The implications are spelled out for family, friends and community in great believable detail. What is so compelling about this novel is that both postive and negative reactions flow from the loss which makes the account seem more honest and ultimately, more human. If some works of fiction are less compelling because we dont care about any of the characters, O'Nan's novels are unusual in that we can related to nearly all of the characters. And with all the detailed descriptions of human strengths and weaknesses in the face of tragedy, there is still a narrative form that moves us continually forward with the speed of a thriller.
    • 4/5
      Stewart O'Nan allows his readers to glimpse the lives of those who alternately hope and mourn during the agony of a missing 18-year old girl, Kim. The day-to-day existence is charted from the individual perspectives of those who loved Kim, and how each attempts to cope with her disappearance. It alters relationships between everyone involved in the search to understand what happened to Kim. O'Nan is particularly gifted at these poignant descriptions, and allows the reader to experience all the emotions in this unimaginable event. It also makes us aware of the very real experiences of those whom we see on television pleading for help in finding a missing person. This book will continue to haunt me for a long time.
    • 5/5
      Although the subject matter is depressing, the writing is not. Stewart O'Nan has written another winner (after Last Night at the Lobster). An 18-year-old girl goes missing in a small town in Ohio in the summer before she is to go off to college. O'Nan tells us the story of the search and the aftermath through the eyes of each member of her family and her close friends. Every character rings true and we feel we are living through it all with them, inhabiting their minds and learning their inner thoughts. An excellent story, highly recommended - this type of writing is why I love to read.
    • 1/5
      I hated this book. It was very slow, too full of unnecessary detail and very disjointed. The ending very anti-climactic. I felt like I wasted my time in reading it.
    • 4/5
      I guess I should have realized this novel was about how a family deals with the loss of a child, and not about the happy discovery of the child. O'Nan is a beautiful writer, but I spent the whole book focused on the missing daughter and hoping they'd find her...so it felt like too long of a wait.
    • 4/5
      Beautifully and compellingly written, but felt sort of cut off. It had such a hopeless feeling, it never really connected with me, although I kept reading until the end. Maybe I was hoping, like the main characters, for Kim's return.
    • 4/5
      O'Nan has written a wonderfully moving story about a family dealing with the aftermath of their daughter's disappearance. Unfortunately, Kim has turned eighteen just before graduating from highschool and when she turns up missing after a day at the lake with friends, the police are at first unsure how to categorize her disappearance. Eventually, her car is found, and foul play may be the next assumption. The real story, however, is about her parents, Ed and Fran and little sister Lindsay and how their lives change and evolve as the search for Kim goes on. Their reactions to Kim's boyfriend and friends is very real, as are their rough spots in their family life and eventual strengthening of their marriage.