The Washington Independent Review of Books gave kudos to Louie on the Rocks in a recent review saying, “With sharp, clear prose and a grounded tone, [O’Brien] captures a fascinating snapshot of American dysfunction in the Trump era.”
The review concludes this way:
“For readers of all political stripes, much ofย Louie on the Rocksย will likely feel familiar. Lulu groans at the cruel memes and insults her father posts on Facebook, a platform that thrives on discord and hatefulness. Louie doesnโt see a problem. Itโs easy to imagine this book one day โ when MAGA inevitably recedes โ being categorized as a simple, occasionally over-the-top satire. Future readers, laughing at the absurdity it portrays, may not understand just how true to life it is.”
Bookstagrammers have been so amazingly generous with their time and their compliments for my latest darkly comedic novel, Louie on the Rocks (on sale now!). Here’s a sample:
Louie is a grumpy 66-year-old man who lost his wife six months prior. Louie is estranged from his daughter, who gets pulled back into his life after she finds out how Louie is living. Though they have extremely opposing views on politics and most things in life, she aims to get Louie the help and support he needs.
Brilliantly told through multiple perspectives, including Louieโs deceased wife, this story examines a grieving family polarized by politics. It was an eye-opening and insightful exploration of how deeply affecting politics can be within a family unit that doesnโt see eye to eye. Though politics is a main theme within this book, the reader does not need to be an expert in the subject to sympathize with these characters. The brokenness of this family goes well beyond their political differences. It was easy to feel for these characters.
There is a sarcastic, humorous tone throughout this novel which kept the heaviness from overshadowing the story. I enjoyed the authors writing and how she sprinkled in witty prose to offset the darkness. This family dynamic is heart breaking and grief-filled, yet there were many moments I was smiling and laughing.
The chapters are short, making this easy to fly through. There are legal document entries scattered throughout which gives a refreshing break to the narrative.
Upon reflection, I am surprised with how much I loved this book. This book has a heavy focus on American politics so being Canadian, and not considering myself any sort of political guru, this was outside of my comfort zone yet it worked incredibly well for me. Itโs a book Iโll remember reading for a long time. I highly recommend you try it for yourself!
I loved Pumpkin, Louieโs late wifeโs dog that is a central part of the story!๐พ
@briannethebookworm: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ 4/5 Iโll start with saying Louie was an extremely triggering and infuriating character that was hard to empathize with. I pitied him for letting Cristall take advantage of him the way he did, but the way he treated Lulu and refused to compromise made it hard to give him any leniency. It was entertaining to have Helenโs perspective of the events from the grave, and I felt for her having to mediate Louie and Luluโs relationship for decades; however I donโt think having her background knowledge and context of Lulu and Louieโs relationship added to the story significantly. I felt similarly about Cristallโs brief chapter at the end. Overall, I enjoyed the book and looked forward to picking it up each time to witness the dysfunctional Francis family. Louie was a spot-on stereotype of some Trump supporters, and many readers will relate to the struggles of navigating familial relationships when political views and values are vastly different. Grab your copy this week!
@livingmybookishlife: Our nation is divided like never before. There are Lulus and there are Louies. I am most definitely a Lulu. This review and book will resonate with Lulus. Louies will hate both.
๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐ข๐ก ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ฆ is a tale of our time; an allegory of current events. Itโs a hard lesson wrapped in an often humorous, always engaging piece of fiction. Itโs a warning that we should have heeded, but ignored these past four years. It is a sad and sobering reflection of the destructive power of hate. It is where we find ourselves again and Iโm both ashamed and frightened.
On its face, this is a story of the damage caused to one family by extreme politics told through three distinct points of view. Louie is MAGA to the core. A FOX News watching, conspiracy theory believer who searched for and found places to have his hate validated. At his core he is an insecure man battling demons of alcoholism and jealousy. Lulu is his estranged left leaning lesbian daughter. Their relationship was never solid and was irrevocably damaged when he refused to accept her sexual orientation and, instead, used hateful slurs to demean and belittle her. Helen is the recently deceased family matriarch who held them together by the thinnest of threads. Now that Helen is gone, all hell has broken loose.
It feels ironic that I finished this book on a day which sees the nation both honoring MLK, JR. and witnessing Trumpโs second inauguration. One man stood for the power of love to conquer hate while the other uses vitriol to divide in pursuit of personal gain. The differences could not be more striking. Meredith OโBrienโs brutally honest and bitingly funny work of fiction should be a warning to us all. Sadly, I fear the Louies who learned nothing from history will continue to revel in the chaos.
Finally, to Ms. OโBrien: โLouie on the Rocksโ is a brilliant and twisted play on words. IYKYK
@jaypippi: Finishing the yet-to-be-released Louie on the Rocks by Meredith OโBrien felt eerily on point today. This darkly funny, painfully relatable story dives into the fractures of family, grief, and division in the Trump era.
After losing their matriarch, MAGA dad Louie spirals into alcoholism, while his liberal, queer daughter Lulu fights to save both her father and their broken bond. Told in part through the ghostly narration of Louieโs late wife, Helen, the story gives a bittersweet perspective as she watches her family unravel.
Luluโs identity as a lesbian adds another layer of tension, as she struggles to stay true to herself while navigating her fatherโs conservative worldview.
This book made me pause and reflect. We all know that family member whoโs fallen down the rabbit hole, donโt we? And as the last breaths of democracy seem to sputter out, there are those who fear tomorrow, and others who celebrate it. Fathers, sisters, cousinsโpeople we loveโon opposite sides of history.
Messy, raw, and deeply relatable, Louie on the Rocks will make you laugh, cry, and reflect on your own relationships. Itโs a reminder of how complicated family can beโand how love and humanity might still cut through the noise, even in the most divided time.
@bobbijoreads: It’s MAGA vs. LGBTQ+ in this dark humor domestic drama. Louis (father) and Lulu (daughter) are at odds while Helen (mom) watches and commentates from the afterlife.
I loved the format of this book with the three alternating POVs and Affidavits mixed in throughout. I loved the character of Lulu, her relationship with her girlfriend Jules, and the way Helen loved her and embraced them both. The family dynamics (like toxic peacekeeping from Helen & fighting between Louis and Lulu) felt extremely real and relatable. Louis name-calling everyone who wasn’t enabling him, and refusing to take accountability perfectly mirrored his idolization.
The ending caught me off guard but also fit so so well into the story. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
@libraryscented: This book is a brilliant snapshot of how polarizing American politics have become since 2019. The story is told thru the voices of Louie, his deceased wife (ghost), Helen, and his daughter, Lulu.
Like much of America these days, Louie & Lulu have VERY different political views and it is destroying any semblance of family they have left.
This story will have you on the edge of your seat wondering how it will all play out.
@shopcoffeekids: This novel plays into todayโs household landscape divided by politics. We meet a queer young women and her alcoholic father whose buffer in the home has recently passed away.
Louie on the Rocks is told through multiple POVโs, including the deceased mother, which moves the story along nicely with its short chapters. This book is a bit heavy in its reality, humorous and definitely thought-provoking.
I was thrilled to have my first book review published in the Washington Postthis month. I was asked to read two nonfiction books about the development of the COVID-19 vaccines: Brendan Borrell’s The First Shots and Gregory Zuckerman’s A Shot to Save the World.
The review began this way:
The rapid development and rollout of coronavirus vaccines is one of the biggest news stories in recent memory. As the novel and highly communicable virus began spreading at the end of 2019, the hunt for a vaccine began in early 2020, relying heavily upon a foundation of knowledge created by little-known scientists and researchers. By the time vaccines were being injected into arms at the end of 2020, the United States had lostย hundreds of thousands of peopleย to covid-19.
A story this expansive and consequential could surely fill many books. (Think of how many have been written about the 1918 influenza pandemic.) So it really isnโt surprising that two journalists have tackled the same big story in separate new books โ with similar titles and stark covers featuring syringes. The books offer dueling tales of howย coronavirusย vaccines were developed in what seemed like record time. While they cover some of the same territory and quote some of the same people, the books largely shine their respective lights on different narrative slices of the story.
As I’ve seen events to promote my medical memoir Uncomfortably Numb canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, I’ve been so grateful for the work of many people who are stepping in to fill the void.
Several woman have been extremely generous in helping me spread the word about my medical memoir through their online book groups.
Self-proclaimed book nerd Ashley Spivey allowed me to take over her book club’s Instagram account this past week to promote Uncomfortably Numb.
I’m new to the world of Instagram stories, so it took me a little bit of time to figure out how to layer words atop the images and then throw music into the mix, like combining UB40’s “Red Red Wine” with a snapshot of my mother (whose death is featured in the memoir) sucking down a glass of red wine.
I had to create visual ways of conveying the experience of writing and researching my memoir, including shooting quasi-awkward videos of myself explaining my process. In addition to a photo of my mom –who was given the nickname The Wine Mother by a local radio DJ, I posted a pic of the bathroom where my biggest MS attack took place, a photo of my family on vacation in Los Angeles just before two MS attacks, and an illustration that I first saw on actress & MS patient Selma Blair’s Instagram account (created by artist Erica Root) depicting MS symptoms.ย ย
You can see highlights from my Uncomfortably Numb Instagram takeover here.
Prolific author Kimberly Belle — one of the founders of the Facebook book group Readers Coffeehouse — has been instrumental in the “authors helping authors” movement, assisting those whose book events were canceled in the wake of the coronavirus spread.
After she shared my book with her club members, I engaged in lively online discussion with them before giving away two signed copies.
After our recent flash-interview on The Write Review, Horsky McDonnell wrote a short review of Uncomfortably Numb.
“Wow! This book should be read by anyone with Multiple Sclerosis, or other autoimmune disease,” Horsky McDonnell wrote. “… It is a book that is going to help so many people needing a voice to hear when they get their diagnosis with MS, or even a loved one does. It will certainly bring comfort to know they are not alone! After my interview with her, I trust she will be a huge voice for Multiple Sclerosis. I cannot get her out of my head, and I’m sharing her book with my doctors!!”
Led by Jady Bernier Babin, members of the Yellow Brick Reads Facebook group vied for a chance to win signed copies of Uncomfortably Numb by sharing ways (other than reading, which, of course, we all adore) they are coping with being asked to shelter-in-place so as not to spread Covid-19.
I was honored to virtually converse with Yellow Brick Reads folks, as well as with the members of Readers Coffeehouse, The Write Review and Spivey’s book club.
Thank you Jady, Kimberly, Annie and Ashley for your support!
As I’ve seen events to promote my medical memoir 
I’m new to the world of Instagram stories, so it took me a little bit of time to figure out how to layer words atop the images and then throw music into the mix, like combining UB40’s “Red Red Wine” with a snapshot of my mother (whose death is featured in the memoir) sucking down a glass of red wine. 
Meredith OBrien 