Kent Haruf’s 'Our Souls at Night'

 The last novel I enjoyed reading was Kent Haruf’s Our Souls at Night. I didn’t feel as if I were learning a lesson or that I was working on something. I read with delight.

If you’re interested in writing, I can give you a reason to read it: The story unfolds well at a good pace.

It’s about two old people, Addie and Louis, a widow and widower who are alone. In the first chapter, Addie offers a proposition to Louis. He’s invited to come over at night, not for sex, but for conversation and companionship. It’s a recipe for sleeping without loneliness.

And so you have two people who have lived full — sometimes messy — lives, telling each other their stories, just as courting couples do. Addie tells how she lost her husband. Louis tells how he lost his wife.

There are 43 short chapters — each about 1,000 words on average, I’d guess.

I felt I knew two people when the book ended.

You can look for many things in a novel. I’m not much for thrillers or adventure stories. Instead, I like stories that reveal character.

This one does that in the ancient rhythm of courtship. She says, and then he says. The revelations come slowly, a little at a time. I admire the pace.

• Source: Kent Haruf, Our Souls at Night; New York: Vintage Books, 2016.