Andrew Hicks's Reviews > Goodnight, Nebraska

I was introduced to Tom McNeal just a couple weeks ago by the 2013 YA title Far Far Away , which had one of the most absorbing first 50 pages of any novel I've read. Lofty, ambitious story-telling, gorgeous prose, all very appealing and accessible.

Winners of the Best First 50 Pages Award almost always slide downhill, though, sometimes quite dramatically, and indeed Far Far Away ultimately wins the Just a Good Book, Nothing More Award.

But it made me thirsty for more Tom McNeal. I did a little research and turned up the most favorable reactions to Goodnight Nebraska , McNeal's 1998 debut novel, intended for adult audiences.

And, yeah, I'm still new to reading novels for adults as an adult, but Goodnight Nebraska is the closest thing I've ever read to the Great American Novel. Its scope is broad, spanning 20 years or more, and we keep tabs on at least that many characters. Though occasionally tedious, McNeal's pace feels unhurried yet brisk. The detours are welcome ones, and he confidently doubles back to the novel's taut center, the character of Randall Hunsacker.

When we meet him, Randall is a boy of 10 or so, in a nuclear family of mom, dad and older sister. Normalcy is shatter soon after, and as we get to the meat of the story, Randall is 17 and starting a new life in small-town Goodnight, Nebraska. He moves into an older widow's spare bedroom, works on cars and pumps gas in town, and plays on the high school football team.

McNeal adds to the mix head cheerleader Marcy, object of much male attention, and we get to know each of her parents. Randall's friend group, over time, is culled from the nare-do-well table at the lone bar in town, and we get to know each of those guys.

By the end of it all, which is only like 319 pages, we're able to appreciate the big picture created by all the nuance. This is a wide tree trunk with branches of all sizes, and there's nothing overwhelming in McNeal's execution. The humor, the understanding and the feel of authenticity all are amazing. I loved it, and now I want to read more books like it. I'll read more Tom McNeal soon, and eventually I'll read Goodnight Nebraska again.