On This Day: A Novel

by Nathaniel Bellows

Orphaned at the age of eighteen when his father dies of cancer and his mother commits suicide, Warren and his twenty-year-old sister, Joan, face such challenges as the approaching holidays, their father's ruthless business partner, relatives who would exploit their situation, and Warren's obsession with a single mother. Reader's Guide available. Reprint. 10,000 first printing.

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Nathaniel Bellows has published a novel, ON THIS DAY, (HarperCollins), and a collection of poems, WHY SPEAK? (W.W. Norton), and NAN, a novel-in-stories (Harmon Blunt).

His fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, Narrative, Post Road, Redivider, Guernica, Cousin Corrine's Reminder, Memorious, and THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2005, edited by Michael Chabon. His poems have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The New Republic, The Paris Review, The Yale Review, and many other journals. He also makes visual art and writes music. He lives in New York City.

http://nathanielbellows.tumblr.com/
http://www.facebook.com/NathanielBellows

Reviews

[abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well realized characters, very lifelike (ie, no tidy resolutions to any problems; no clearly definable plot).

[LibraryCin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

Warren and Joan are (young adult) siblings and orphans. Their dad, then mom, died within a short time span (although the back of the book (and the blurb) says how, I feel like it is a bit of a spoiler, so I will not mention it here). They lean on each other heavily for support as they deal with their losses, but they were always quite close. They feel like they are getting along just fine, but it’s obvious that they are having some trouble.

It is told from Warren’s point of view and it went back and forth in time. It was decent. Slow-moving, definitely not full of plot, although there was one “surprise” (I had guessed it). There were some things I didn’t like about both Warren and Joan, but they were dealing with a lot. Things aren’t fully resolved, either, but I suppose that’s more realistic.

[Janice Workman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was hard for me to get into. It jumped around, avoided landing before taking off on another tangent, leaving me wondering what I just read. It may be just what someone else wants to read - but that's the point - someone else.

[Amanda Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was given to me by my 8th Grade English teacher when my father had cancer. I had a hard time coping with his illness, and she knew my love of reading. It was a comfort to me at a time when I had no one to talk to or express my feelings. It's a bit scattered and out of order, like I was. A good novel with developed characters and complex emotional relationships.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book at all. It took me a long time to finish because it was boring and didn't have a great plot. The only reason I finished the book was because I was hoping it would get better. It never did. From reading the back it sounded interesting but in reality it really wasn't.

[Rose]

F Bel

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars--Well paced literary fiction about young adult siblings who lose both parents over the course of one year.