Morning

by W.D. Wetherell

In this rich, compulsively readable saga about the brave early years of television, "morning" means several things. It is the name of the first-ever morning show, pioneered by a visionary who believed television could reflect the lives of ordinary Americans; it refers to the 1950s, a time of innovation and energy in the vibrant New York City where much of the novel takes place; and finally, it suggests the dawning of a new relationship between a long-estranged father and son who must meet the new century with their fates intertwined.

At the center is Alec McGowan, the creator and host of Morning , adored by women across the country for his intelligence and sex appeal, and by men for his earnest, direct way of talking. As the novel opens it is nearly fifty years since McGowan was murdered on camera by his best friend and co-host, Chet Standish. Our narrator is Alec Brown, Chet's son, a middle-aged biographer obsessed with uncovering the details of McGowan's life. Brown's research and the transcripts of his interviews with pioneers from TV's golden age capture the headlong intensity of McGowan's rise and fall, his reunion with his long-lost first love, and his struggle for fulfillment both on and off the air.

As Brown's work on his book progresses, another story the building of a tenuous relationship with his father, who has just been released from prison after serving fifty years for McGowan's murder. Their comic, heartbreaking attempts at understanding one another and the resulting changes in the life of Brown's entire family gradually illuminate the true story of Morning, in all its meanings.

This unforgettable novel confirms W. D. Wetherell’s place among the most innovative and powerful novelists now working.

Genres: Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published April 24, 2001

About the author

Walter D. Wetherell is the author of eleven previous works of fiction and nonfiction. He has received two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, two O. Henry Awards, the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, and, most recently, the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Strauss Living Award. He lives in Lyme, New Hampshire, with his wife and two children. His latest novel is A Century of November.

Reviews

[Rachel Shields Ebersole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fantastically excellent writer -- I'm excited to check out his other work. This particular book was a 5 star read for me until about 3/4 in, when it got a little disturbing and a little trippy. The ship righted itself in the end, but by then the spell was broken for me, sadly.

[Levi Cochran · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is extremely slow and choppy with very poor imagery. It's almost impossible to keep up with whose perspective that each paragraph is coming from.

[Tuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

i thought this would be really good, but i didn't like the writing.

[ACRL]

Read by ACRL Member of the Week Clay Williams. Learn more about Clay on the ACRL Insider blog.

[Kathleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only took 15 days to read this book....all suffering. I so wish I hadn't kept on reading this when I was bored with it on page 5. The story idea is a good one, just not written well.