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DOWNTOWN OWL

By TANISHA WHITE

Chuck Klosterman is back, but not with another pop culture manifesto. No, no this time he has tried his hand at fiction. Downtown Owl is his first attempt at writing fiction and does it ever have that classic Klosterman style to it. Whether you love or hate Klosterman and his geek–like philosophies, this novel is not a write off.
The novel takes place in one of those nowhere towns in North Dakota that Klosterman knows all too well, seeing as he did grow up there. In the span of a year from 1983 to ‘84, we learn about the small farming community of Owl and its residents.
But more importantly we learn about three main characters. Mitch Hrlicka, a third–string Owl High School quarterback. He is a basic teenager who has no ambitions or real interests and would rather be sleeping in his very weird and empty room. Second is Horace Jones, a widower who now succumbs to daily gossip at the local café. And then there is Julia Rabia. She is the new teacher in town who is constantly out of place…and who wouldn’t be, coming from a big city to rural nowhere.
The characters all share alternating chapters that describe the same days, just in different shoes. They all experience the same thing, just in a different way.
Like any small town of 800, these three are all connected in one way or another. Owl is such a small place it only takes 18 seconds to drive home from pretty much any point in the town. And with a town that small the gossip sure flies about.
Klosterman, out of all people, can make this seemingly dull town quirky and memorable. Instead of knowing just about the individual people who reside in the boring town of Owl, we start to learn more and more about the town as a whole. Which really isn’t all that exciting by any means, but it is rather interesting.
Downtown Owl is an easy read which will please most of the population due to many having a short attention span. If you enjoy his style of writing, you will like this book. If you were never a fan of Klosterman, I highly doubt you were going to purchase this book anyway. It really does capture the essence of the small town vibe that has a dwindling population and no one has any real interest in going beyond the city limits. Plus the ending is a real kicker, not to leave you hanging or anything…V [TANISHA WHITE]

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