Last Night at the Lobster begins with the lone figure of Manny DeLeon, the manager of an aging Red Lobster in New England, opening for his last day of business. Written by Stewart O’Nan, this is just the latest in his cannon of the workingman. It’s nowheres-ville fiction, and while there are some definite strengths, the plot line is plodding and often uninteresting.
The strength of the novel rests in O’Nan’s wonderful detail and description. His writing is entirely realistic and believable-to the point where it becomes compelling for that reason alone. For a short novel, the characters have a remarkable draw and charisma. They are people that everyone who has ever worked in food service or retail can recognize.
There is Manny, the dogged and tragic manager who, for reasons only he knows, is dedicated to his job– performing his duties as if they truly meant something to the world. Then there is Roz, a sarcastic but caring woman, who has spent her lifetime as a waitress, “the only one fully vested in Darden’s retirement plan.” Ty, the chef, is a retired military man whose temperament and no nonsense keeps the kitchen running, and a whole host of others. Though the characters are quirky, they do not come across as stereotypical caricatures.
Considering the incredible accuracy of description, from customers to the work done, it is clear that O’Nan did his research. Minute details, such as the cans in the stock room, and the sanitation sink, add depth and reality to the story. It certainly couldn’t be said that the problems with the novel arise from characterization or setting.
Unfortunately, problems begin to appear with character development and the directionless plot. Rather than an engaging work that readers would find hard to put down, Last Night at the Lobster would be more accurately described as a snapshot-an unchanging moment in time. Manny, who seems to be desperately clinging to his past, makes no move forward, comes to no conclusions, and has no revelations. The only concrete change for him is his job, and even then he’s only going as far as the nearest Olive Garden. The interactions are anticlimactic even when they are dramatic.
Things are so slow moving that the book becomes depressing and monotonous, carried only by the reader’s ability to relate to working during the holiday season.
Most of the buildup in the novel unfolds too slowly, if at all. Readers are given hints to the ultimate confrontation between Manny and Jackie, the waitress he’s in love with, for over half the novel-only to be disappointed with a rather dull conclusion. Even the gift Manny is supposed to buy, the one that’s suppose to trouble him endlessly, ends up as a 15-minute trip to Zales.
The novel lacks the peaks and valleys of engaging fiction. It’s flat.
There are countless places where the author could have created tension and suspense, but they are glossed over, and there is an abundance of ambiguous exposition that really could have been further explored.
While the closing of the restaurant is pivotal and tragic for Manny, he doesn’t change, and it doesn’t seem to be important to any of the other characters. That seems a little incongruous.
To give the author some credit though, the flatness of the novel brings up some interesting themes. The concepts of work ethic and pride come across without being dry or preachy. O’Nan allows readers to question responsibility and the daily foibles of life from a removed and relaxed position. He also presents the difficulties of the work place, and the roles of those within it, without melodrama.
Overall, the novel follows the pace of a slow day at work. On one hand, boring. On the other, something that warrants consideration. The environment is crystal clear. The people are believable.
Last Night at the Lobster is the kind of book to pick up when feeling philosophical and distant. Don’t expect any sort of dynamic, and for all of its potential, don’t expect drama. This is a novel that firmly cements readers inside of everything they hope to escape from at the end of the day. Yet, through that quality, it is also a novel that allows readers to put things in perspective, and maybe even laugh a little.