Ourselves to Know

Robert Millhouser is a wealthy recluse in small-town Pennsylvania who agrees to share his life story with a young man named Gerald Higgins in the 1920s. Through letters and conversations, Millhouser reveals his journey from aspiring artist to convicted murderer, with the circumstances of his wife's death in 1907 remaining a central mystery. The narrative spans from the American Civil War through the early twentieth century, capturing life in a Pennsylvania mining town through periods of significant social change. The story alternates between Gerald's present-day encounters with Millhouser and extended flashbacks to earlier periods in Millhouser's life, including his childhood experiences during the Civil War. O'Hara's novel examines themes of isolation, redemption, and the ways past actions echo through generations in small communities. The book presents a complex portrait of American society's evolution while exploring how violence and tragedy can reshape both individual lives and entire communities.

Most readers describe Ourselves to Know as one of O'Hara's minor works that fails to reach the heights of his better-known novels. On various review sites, readers point to strong character development and O'Hara's talent for dialogue. Readers appreciate: - The exploration of small-town Pennsylvania life and social dynamics - Sharp observations of class distinctions - Realistic portrayal of relationships Common criticisms: - Slow pacing, especially in the first third - Meandering plot structure - Too many underdeveloped side characters - Confusing timeline jumps Ratings: Goodreads: 3.5/5 (42 ratings) Amazon: 3.7/5 (6 reviews) Several reviewers note that while the book showcases O'Hara's writing abilities, it lacks the punch of Appointment in Samarra or BUtterfield 8. As one Goodreads reviewer states: "The ingredients are there but it never quite comes together like his best work."

Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara This tale of a car dealer's social and personal destruction in a Pennsylvania town shares O'Hara's penetrating examination of class structures and moral decline in American society.

The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald The descent of a wealthy heir and his wife into ruin unfolds against New York society with the same sharp social observations and tragic inevitability found in O'Hara's work.

Main Street by Sinclair Lewis A woman's struggle against small-town provincialism mirrors O'Hara's unflinching portrayal of social constraints and cultural limitations in American communities.

American Pastoral by Philip Roth The story of a successful businessman's fall from grace in mid-century America explores themes of social status and disillusionment that echo O'Hara's narrative preoccupations.

The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers The interconnected lives of five characters in a small Southern town reveal the same deep understanding of social hierarchies and human loneliness that characterizes O'Hara's writing.

🔹 O'Hara's Pennsylvania roots deeply influenced his writing - he grew up in Pottsville, PA, which became the model for the fictional towns in many of his works, including the setting of Ourselves to Know 🔹 The novel's unique epistolary structure, combining letters and conversations, was relatively uncommon for American literature of the 1960s when it was published 🔹 The Civil War sections of the novel were based on extensive research of Pennsylvania regiment records and personal accounts from soldiers' letters 🔹 Despite being one of America's most widely-read authors in the mid-20th century with 14 novels and 402 short stories to his credit, O'Hara remains somewhat overlooked by literary scholars today 🔹 O'Hara was known for his precise documentation of social status and class distinctions - his detailed observations about small-town social hierarchies in works like Ourselves to Know influenced later writers like John Updike