A luminous work of fiction that celebrates the uncommon in common lives, and the redemptive power of love. Mary and O'Neil frequently marveled at how, of all the lives they might have led, they had somehow found this one together. When they met at the Philadelphia high school where they'd come to teach, each had suffered a profound loss that had not healed. How likely was it that they could learn to trust, much less love, again? In Justin Cronin's tender, heartwise debut, eight stories trace the lives of these two vulnerable young people as they rediscover in each other a world alive with promise and hope. From the formative experiences of their early adulthood to marriage, parenthood, and beyond, each chapter illuminates the moments of grace that enable Mary and O'Neil to make peace with the deep emotional legacies that haunt them: the sudden, mysterious death of O'Neil's parents, Mary's long-ago decision to end a pregnancy, O'Neil's sister's battle with illness and a troubled marriage. Like the work of Alice Hoffman, Cronin's fiction resonates with magical nuance and unexpected encounters -- a beautiful young girl who appears to Mary one night, draped in a cloud of stars; an autistic child who reveals a life-changing secret; a woman O'Neil mistakenly dials the night their first child is born -- that edify this young couple's intimate bond and affirm their faith in the future. It is 1979, and 19-year-old O'Neil Burke has it all. He's in love, successful in college, and warmed by the affection of his parents and older sister Kay. After a weekend visiting their son, the Burkes, protecting each other from dark, unshared secrets, drive off an icy embankment and die. O'Neil's mounting losses include his girl, his career ambitions, and any sense of direction. Eventually, he finds his way back into a pleasant life, teaching high school English in Philadelphia and marrying Mary. More sorrow solidifies the bond between O'Neil and his sister when she fights a losing battle with cancer in her late thirties. Cronin's key mistake in this fine series of linked short stories about a family weathering crushing blows is indicated by his misleading title. Mary, who makes her first appearance nearly 100 pages into the book, is not nearly the presence that O'Neil, his parents, and his sister are. This is too bad, as the scenes between Mary and O'Neil are rich with affectionate humor, leaving the reader wanting more. Nevertheless, this is a worthy first effort by a novelist worth watching. -DBeth E. Andersen, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., MI Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. This is a story of fidelity, pregnancy, maturation, cancer, and death--all well-tread themes in current fiction. Presented as "a novel in stories," we meet a middle-aged couple coping with crises, whose troubles seem to be transferred inevitably onto their children. The bulk of the novel centers on one of these children, O'Neil, and his wife, Mary, and relays the happenings of their individual lives as they graduate from college, meet girls and boys, and eventually settle down with each other. The utilization of worn-out ideas often burdens the novel, restraining it from ever taking flight. But despite being heavy in places, the novel is generally well written. Cronin's use of language, when crisp and inventive, allows the characters a freedom to develop within the tired concepts, which in turn uplifts the novel. Although his literary influences frequently peek through, particularly his fondness for Updike, should first-novelist Cronin continue shaping his voice, he will be an author to keep your eyes open for. Jeff Snowbarger Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "His prose is quite moving and beautiful ... playing out variations on the theme of the inability of parents and children to truly know one another, Cronin is capable of creating fresh poignancy." -- Publishers Weekly Advance praise for Mary and O'Neil : " Mary and O'Neil is, pure and simple, one of the most tender, moving, and beautiful books I have read in years. Justin Cronin writes about love -- between parents and children, between siblings, and, yes, between lovers -- with a wisdom and humor that's rare." -- Chris Bohjalian, author of Trans-Sister Radio and Midwives "Justin Cronin's unusual and admirable book offers -- in the tradition of Elizabeth Strout's Amy and Isabelle -- a rare combination of brilliant prose, precise feeling, and omniscient wisdom regarding the complicated bonds between generations. A wonderful debut." -- Andrea Barrett, National Book Award-winning author of Ship Fever and The Voyage of the Narwhal " Mary and O'Neil is written with an aching beauty -- for the passage of time, the yearning for peace, the haunting sorrows and small joys that all of us know in life. There is wisdom in these pages. There is compassion and understanding. But most of all, this book contains genuine love. My hat is off to Justin