The Odds: A Novel by Stewart O'Nan

I loved O'Nan's small novel "Last Night at the Lobster", so I've been anxious to read The Odds which is also a quick read.  It's the story of a middle-aged couple who go to Niagara Falls over Valentine's Day to try to win back the money they have lost and to try to rekindle their love.  The author is wonderful, and he does a beautiful job of developing the characters.  I just found it to be very sad - especially how the husband tries so hard to please his unpleasable wife. Maybe it just made me a bit uncomfortable to be so thoroughly inside their heads.  The book moves from character to character letting the reader know what each spouse is thinking and it's all so very real and normal.  Most couples who have been married for years can completely relate to Art and Marion.  I loved how there is a little quip at the beginning of each chapter with "odds" such as the odds of a couple remarrying or the odds of going over Niagara Falls. -June