Oliver Loving (Block) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
In Stefan Merrill Block’s psychologically astute novel, the damaged people that surround Oliver try to piece together their own versions of what happened that night and since then, even as doctors prepare a new treatment that might help Oliver communicate again.
Esquire


A moving novel of love, family, and loss, Stefan Merrill Block's Oliver Loving pulls on every heart string and leaves no stone unturned throughout one man's quest to escape the paralysis that has ensconced him and live a normal, happy life.
Pop Sugar


Block discloses the truth…by telling [his] story from different perspectives. Though the lead-up to the big reveal is perhaps too long to sustain itself, the book poses big questions about what constitutes a life worth living.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) Block's powerful, ambitious third novel examines the … psychological trauma [of] families and communities when sudden, violent loss of life occurs.… A beautifully rendered meditation on … forgiveness.
Library Journal


(Starred review.) Block has done an excellent job of building … characters and … setting, which lives vividly on the page, all heat and dust and decrepitude. [T]imely and timeless, this is an exciting story that rewards reader interest.
Booklist


Block has serious chops; he should trust the reader more, repeat and analyze a little less. A topic both timely and timeless, psychologically astute and vividly rendered, with strong characters and a rich sense of place.
Kirkus Reviews