I could not get into this book and gave up very early on. It seemed course, not the kind of book for me in any way. Language was rough and while I am no prude, it turned me off. Long descriptive paragraphs of uninteresting meant that I didn't care for any of it. Thanks NetGalley for an advance copy in return for an honest opinion.

I was initially interested in this story because my husband is a soldier from Ohio who served 3 tours in the Iraq war. The characters are my age and the author does a really good job describing living in NE OH. I actually live in NW Ohio but its the same climate and problems so much so I could be a character in the story. I grew up in a small Ohio town, was a Sunday school teacher, dated an older guy and got into similar trouble as the characters until we broke up when I turned 18. My mother worked in a factory and hurt her back so she got addicted to prescription pills for years until she realized she was dying and quit. I married a soldier and live with the affects of going to war. The book hits home. I think the synopsis does a good job describing the book. I had to keep a note about who the characters were because each point of view remembers the high school experience differently.

I received an advanced reading copy from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster. Thanks!

I am not completely sure what I want to say about this novel. On one hand, I really enjoyed reading it. In some ways, it reminded me of The Secret History by Donna Tartt. The book is told from the point of view of four different people who attended high school together in a small town in Ohio. The story begins when one of the men returns to the town, and encounters each of the others. These encounters lead to flashbacks of high school and early adulthood for each character, providing the reader with differing viewpoints of the same external events during that time period.

The novel does a great job of digging deep into each of the four characters-they all felt fully fleshed out and believable. While reading the flashback from one character's viewpoint, the reader wonders (along with the protagonist in that section) about the motivations behind another person's behavior. Then, as we read about the same events from a different point of view, we gain a different understanding of the same situation, which sometimes answer the questions in the mind of the first character, but always bring up additional questions and a new interpretation of the events in the reader's mind. I thought Markley accomplished this quite well.

I started reading this novel on a Friday, read about 2/3 of it over the weekend, and then finished it and finished it the next weekend. And I think the challenge that I had with this novel has something to do with that reading schedule. I had a pretty quiet weekend, and was able to spend quite a bit of time reading. During that period, I was really enjoying the novel-I loved the different character's voices and felt myself drawn into the sense of intrigue that revolves in and around groups of friends during high school. The complex interrelationship between different characters, and who knew what about who felt so believable-I remember feeling exactly that way when I was in high school.

Unfortunately, when I got back to the novel after work on Monday, I had lost the thread, and suddenly the web of relationships had become too complex. I remembered peoples' names, but I was not always sure where they fit into the web in regards to the character whose story I was currently following, let alone how they fit for earlier characters.

It felt a bit as if I had reconnected with someone I knew in high school on Facebook, who then they told me some salacious gossip about a mutual friend from our past. Although I remember our mutual friend, and can picture the situation, I don't experience that feeling of "of course" or "now I understand everything" that I might have felt during high school. It is just too long ago for me to fully remember and understand the complex web of relationships that provide a context for me to process that piece of gossip.

This is not the first time this has happened to me; for example, I don't often read novels that don't have a fairly straightforward plot structure, because I lose the thread of the story easily. I honestly don't think there was anything specific to Markley's writing that led me to feel this way. But unfortunately, it left me enjoying this novel less than I might have if I had been able to finish it before the weekend ended.

That said, I would definitely suggest that others not be deterred from reading this novel because I did not give it a higher rating; I also gave The Secret History only 3 stars and 76% of the other readers on Goodreads liked it more than I did.

I apologize but I cannot finish this novel. I got through several chapters and it just never gained my interest. I felt the story rambled a bit too much and I sincerely could not keep up with the train of thought going on with the characters.

As someone from a small town in Southwest Ohio, Markley's Ohio beautifully and tragically depicts the coming to terms with one's past. I was drawn to this book mostly to see how the author portrays my home state. He is spot on with the drug problems plaguing the marginalized areas of the rust belt. The character development makes one love and hate each character through the flashbacks to their youth and choices that were made. One excerpt that really stood out to me was "This was about disappearing. People, she'd come to understand, disappeared all the time. The world simply opened its jaws and stalled them whole. They vanished, and unless they were rich or famous or particularly beautiful, they did so almost without comment. There was bitterness at murder, grief at accidents, and fury at suicide. But to disappear -- well, there was only mystery." This made me think about classmates that have disappeared to me and probably vice versa. I cannot wait to see this book reach the shelves. It should be well received. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Having finished "Ohio" by Stephen Markley, I am amazed that this is a debut novel. I was mesmerized not only by the story, but quite often by the writing itself. There are sections of the book (in particular, a description of a photograph of several high school students at their prom) that I had to highlight on my Kindle; they were that good. War, friendship, love, betrayal, desperation, and the results of 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan are depicted in a way that kept me turning the pages while savoring each one.
Don't expect a plot synopsis; not my style. You can read about the plot on any sight that carries this review. The novel explores one night in 2013 when four former high school friends (individually, not together) return to the town of New Canaan, Ohio, and the encounters each has. Each of the books four major sections follows one of these characters, and alternates between that night and flashbacks to other events in their life. Events only hinted at in one section are documented in later sections. In this way, the novel's impact unfolds gradually, allowing the reader to savor and wonder how these four stories really intersect, both in the present and the past.
One example is "The Murder That Never Was," an event that all of the major characters mention, and which the reader wonders about until the book's very end. The conclusion arrives with the impact of a bullet. It was shocking, and entirely real. I cannot imagine a more satisfying conclusion after following the events of this night, and the many others that led up to it. In short: if you enjoy a good mystery, character-driven, with intriguing writing, and a realistic depiction of small town struggles, grab this book next August!

"Because they were just kids, and that day they drank and they danced and they laughed at the sky-blue heavens, and it really felt like anything could be fixed and anything could be forgiven."

Perhaps this is a poignant foreshadowing of doom to come, but it kept me reading on. This novel is dark - and the vulgar language of the first chapter especially, may be off-putting for some, but this novel was hard to put down. The story involves a "rust belt" town, down on its luck, and features a group of high schoolers struggling to find their way amidst the chaos. The follow up as their paths diverge and reconnect is well structured and intriguing. I craved more moments of levity, but the realism is profound. The voice of an abused teen is perhaps one of the most clear and heartbreaking narratives I have ever read.

Fans of "White Fur" by Jardine Libaire will appreciate the cadence and content of Stephen Markley's new work.

It's hard to believe this is Stephen Markley's first novel. His voice captured my attention as his words made the mundane beautiful. I took my time reading so I could enjoy the pictures his words brought to life in my mind's eye. The setting is a small town in northeastern Ohio. Life in New Canaan is like life in many small towns across America. Everybody is hurt by the recession. Factories are vacant and many of the small businesses are closed. Add to this angst four people who are returning for very different reasons.

The story is well told in a nonlinear fashion. This is not a book for the faint hearted. Some of the subjects are difficult to read about but the telling is necessary to advance the story. Mr Markley did an amazing job weaving the characters stories together to bring this book to a gut wrenching conclusion. I strongly recommend this book to serious readers.

Thank you Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing an Advanced Readers Copy.

Four linked novellas following a group of Millenials from a small rural Ohio town, “ Ohio” dispenses with linear time, jumping back and forth from high school, one particular night ten years later, and their lives in the years between. The writing is sharp and concise, the characters believable .This debit novel shows Stephen Markley as a stunning new and major writer. I have not been able to stop thinking about "Ohio"
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

This is the kind of totally immersive novel that can keep you up at night. One night in 2013, four former classmates find themselves once more in New Canaan, Ohio, or as they call it, The Cane. Their reasons differ, but each is afforded a novella-length section for their story to be told in overlapping precise detail. Stephen Markley has written two other books, but this is his first novel, and as with many journalists, his prose is clear, incisive and totally involving. Despite its length, there isn't a superfluous word and no repetition. This is how the generation called "the Millennials" came to adulthood, and underlying it all, how Donald Trump became president. The former generation is hardly fleshed out at all - Millennials are front and center, their history developed under the effects of 911, the subsequent wars in the Middle East, the opioid crisis and the great recession. As if that weren't enough, crime plays a large part, but not in an ordinary or cliched way. People disappear, reappear, sometimes with little or no warning. I look forward to what Markley's does next.

"Riding back
To where the highway met
Dead end tracks
The ground is now cement and glass
And far away
Heal her soul, carry her, my angel, Ohio
Green green youth
What about the sweetness we knew
What about what's good what's true
From those days
Can't count to
All the lovers I've burned through
So why do I still burn for you
I can't say
Sorry that
I could never love you back
I could never care enough in these last days
Heal her soul, carry her, my angel, Ohi0" – “Carry Me Ohio” by Mark Kozelek

I’m not sure I can give this book the review it deserves. Ostensibly, it is a novel about turmoil, the inner feelings and the outer experiences, that transpired in the years since 9/11, specifically for a group of small town high school friends who came of age during this time. However, as I read it, I felt a pull back to my own youth and the observations and feelings we experienced during the Viet Nam war. There are many differences, to be sure, but the same conflicted emotions and beliefs, the same struggles to make sense of it all in the midst of the exuberance and wild excesses of youth – none of that has changed.

This novel weaves in and out, backward and forward, among students in New Canaan, Ohio. They are the jocks, both football heroes and the hero-worshipping volleyball-playing girlfriends or cheerleaders. They are geeks and nerds. They are children trying to figure out who and what they are and what they believe, in a town where alcohol and meth and oxy and sex and love and sorrow and Christianity cross all lines and blur together. The story is told in separate chapters from the points of view of the main characters, and move from the present to the past and back again in each chapter. This writing style could go horribly wrong in some books; in this one, it works to perfection. This is an intricate, detailed story; every character is key, and it’s important to pay attention all the way through. I made the mistake of slightly skimming through the prologue, because I erroneously believed at that point that the book would be mostly narrative, and I wasn’t sure I was going to like that. I was wrong on both counts; there is substantial dialogue throughout, and I found myself, at 75% through, going back to re-read the prologue because I loved the book so much, I wanted to make sure I understood every step the author had led me through before I reached the end.

This is not a pretty book, but it’s a beautifully written one. It is filled with darkness and horror, despair and pain. The sadness is overwhelming at times, but never does it not seem absolutely, one hundred percent real. There are lines that made me want to weep with the beauty of them, with the sheer lyrical loveliness of them. I’m a sucker for any story that paints a picture so heart-breaking that you believe while you’re reading it that you’ll never read anything more perfect. Ohio did this for me.

Be aware that this may not be an easy read for some of you. There are events that happen throughout that are unpleasant and traumatic, all the way to the very end. But I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the privilege of an advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review. 5 stars, at the very minimum.

Ohio by Stephen Markley is the story of a Rust Belt town and the people who live in it. Markley is the author of the memoir Publish This Book: The Unbelievable True Story of How I Wrote, Sold, and Published This Very Book and the travelogue Tales of Iceland.

Growing up and living in Cleveland, I remember the tail end of the 1960s, 1970s, and the early 1980s, before leaving for the Marines.  I can recall the culture and impending doom that Ohio brings out. The industry-based economy had been stumbling for quite some time with several false starts towards recovery. My parents moved to the suburbs in the 1980s which seemed nice, basically major crime free, nice schools, park, and library. Today the opiates have replaced marijuana. Unemployment leaves a chronic shadow on the community.

I was drawn to the book not only by name and location, Northeast Ohio but also by the cover. I try not to be drawn in by the book covers but this one took me back. Although the convenient store on the cover displays the colors of the 7/11 chain, I was reminded of the Lawson's store at the corner of my street. There were quite a lot of memories tied to the store from drinking Coke on the loading dock, buying lunch food at the deli, and playing pinball inside the store.

The writing in this novel is superb. There is a great effort in the setting and the characters that creates depth to the story moving it from just a novel into literature: 

A vortex of blue light spilled across the pavement, the streets, the downtown buildings, swirling violet violence and a piercing hiss as the oxygen was sucked into another dimension.  It flew backwards into the hot cerulean spiral, gazing mad black eyes, and when it passed over the edge of existence, the puncture in the universe wheezed painfully and then zipped up like a wound stitching itself shut. 

Like the cover shot in the night, most of the book seems to take place in a darkness. The image of an eternal night is filled with things that are not seen by all or even most people. Night hides a variety of ills which the book slowly reveals. 

The city itself is New Canaan which plays on Biblical Canaan. The Biblical Canaan was the promised land of the Israelites -- the land of milk and honey. New Canaan, however, is the land of broken dreams and anguish.  Glory Days have turned to drugs, drinking, and self-mutilation.  Industry has left, the real estate market never recovered, homes are foreclosed, a few bars and a local restaurant is all that seems to remain. 

The economic disaster that has come to define the region is brought out through the characters lives, four of which have come back to the city for various reasons.  Bill Ashcraft an activist and outspoken anti-war crusader, whose life has become a blur of alcohol and drugs, comes back as a courier for former classmate Kaylyn.  Stacey Moore a Ph.D. candidate in English returns to meet with the mother of her high school lover.  Dan Eaton a veteran of three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and balances his need to escape New Canaan and the girl he left behind.  Tina Ross the daughter of a minister struggles with popularity and her beliefs.   Also having a major role in the story, but only through flashbacks, are the football hero and Marine Corporal Rick Brinkland whose funeral opens the book.  Lisa Han, half Vietnamese, raised by a single caucasian mother plays a central role connecting the other characters together.  She remains a bit of the mystery as no one has seen her since high school but some have received emails and postcards. 

The story introduces separate threads that weave together into a complete story.  Each bit of information revealed in the story is tied together wonderfully by the end of the novel.  Markley manages to introduce almost every key issue of that generation into the novel without forcing any issue into the story.  Crime, drugs, terrorism, war, anti-war, sexuality, murder, sex, abuse both physical and emotional, are all pieces that complete the picture.  Revealing the sins of the past brings little cheer to the reader. Instead, the reader will be rewarded with a dark story that is played over and over in may Rust Belt cities.  Those who live or lived there know it well and others will be introduced to the American nightmare.  Fiction mimics real life in Ohio.

Available: August 21st 2018

2 stars

This is an interesting debut novel.

This books is a story about four late-twenties people who are tortured by their past. They came from a small town in Ohio nicknamed “The Cane” for New Canaan, Ohio. They are trying to forge a future for themselves.

The town itself has suffered hard times for quite a while. From the Great Depression to drug wars and, lately, the banking crisis with its attendant foreclosures and evictions; these all play a part in the story. The people who live there seem to be sunk into a kind of depression; a lethargy and hopelessness about their daily lives.

We meet Bill who is an addict and a drunk who is on a secret mission to The Cane.

This is a depressing book. I really couldn’t understand the purpose of writing it at all, Dan, who is a three-time veteran of the Iraq war who is very shy and planning to take a former girlfriend out on a date. There is Tina who is lost in her own problems and others.

While memorable, I really had no sympathy for any of the characters, especially Bill. I began to page through anything that had to do with him. I was tired of his ramblings and his nonsensical talk.

I can’t say that this book was well written and the plotting seemed to wander at times. As I said before, I didn’t really care about any of the characters. I used sheer willpower to plow through this book, and I did not enjoy it. It was a trial. I don’t believe that I’ll read any more of Stephen Markely’s books. On the surface, the premise seemed so good and promising. I was truly disappointed.

I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read.

Certainly not a favorite. This book was so wordy, it wasn't a fun read.
Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

I was caught up in this book and couldn't put it doen! I live in Ohio near where I figured out that this story takes place. The characters are fully developed, believable. Each character has their own problems, and the relationships between characters are Fascinating.

My College Sociology Notes. Circa 1997:
Definition of Identity.
How others see you.
How you want others to see you.
How you see yourself.

This novel took me back to that classroom in college. My professor was trying to teach us the “academic language” for what we were supposedly doing in those four years of schooling. Even though I am four or five years older than the characters in Stephen Markley’s novel Ohio, I know exactly what they are going through. And really, we are all dealing with the same things in that point in our lives: Responsibility, politics, economics, sexuality, careers, religion, family.

This masterful contemporary novel is about four people in their late 20s who are forced back to their hometown after being away for a long time. Caught between 9/11 and The Great Recession, New Canaan’s residents have not fared well; several tragedies have hit the town hard in the last several years, from the economic downturn to heroin addiction to a soldier’s death. Ohio forces the reader to take a long look at what happens to yourself and your town in those ten years after high school. How do young people grow into adults? How does the outside world infringe upon the innocence of our childhood?

Markley focuses on six characters in total, four main stories which are bookended by a short prelude and coda. These characters are raw and complex. Some were strongly connected when growing up, yet all will collide into each other on this trip home. Bill is a lifelong rebel who has been asked to make the long drive home from New Orleans to deliver a mysterious package. Stacey is a current grad student whose sexuality does not exactly mesh well with the religious community in town. Dan is an army vet who has found a purpose outside of The Cane (New Canaan’s nickname), but still has not found wholeness. Tina is a victim of many abuses and while she has found some stability in her life, she will not and cannot leave those wrongs behind. The authors tells these character’s stories and the whole town’s stories through flashbacks and character-told narratives. Markley’s writing is impressive on every page; it’s mature, lyrical and deserving of much praise.

Ohio is not a book about living in the past, nor is it about trying to change the past, but as Markley so eloquently puts it, it’s about the storm called progress. For me, the narrative combines a Richard Russo novel, Hillbilly Elegy, and Billy’s Long Halftime Walk. It’s an excellent contemplation of small town life in a part of this country, and a war that many people have forgotten about. I wholeheartedly recommend Ohio; it is very important literature.