Henry Himself by Stewart O'Nan FIC ONA

   I adored this book. As always I have several books going at the same time.  There are so many I want to get read.  So unless it is an audiobook, I often find myself reading quickly and skimming parts that are just descriptive passages or what appears to be minutia.  You can't do that with this book because it is basically made up of minutia.  For most of us there will be some big events, but in between those events is usually a life filled with, well I would call it minutia.
      Henry is now 75.  He lives with his wife, Emily.  They have children and grandchildren.  He has a sister.  They have a dog.
    Henry is retired now (He was an engineer).  People his age are really starting to notice how close they may be to the end.  It makes him retrospective.  He questions if he handled things with his children over the years - is that why there often seems to be a distance between them.    The marriage between Henry and Emily seems to be a strong, happy one.  They have their unspoken rules and a pattern of life that is rarely interrupted.
      I love the way he writes.  It is all about the characters.  They seem so real and normal.  There were many times I felt the tears in my eyes and many times  I found myself smiling as I agreed with something he did, or said realizing it reminded me of someone I know (or myself).