Stoner

John Williams

1965

January, 2023

9/10

Mesmerizing story where Stoner is bullied by life itself and never catches a break. It is haunting in both its telling and its relatability. Reading the book feels like having lived another life.

Indirectly, Stoner is a lesson on love, meaning, and success. Of all books that should be required reading in schools, this is one. I can't say the book was anything mind blowing, but its subtleness and life-span scope seed lingering questions that really are worth thinking about.

I could have done without the excessive referencing to "making love." Although the idea was to question the role of desire/"lust" in life (I think), I got the message the first time.

There’s not much else to say — the book is an experience.