Why people recommend it
So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell is a celebrated, poignant novella that explores a childhood memory, isolation, and a tragic murder in a small Midwestern town. Pamela Paul and John Williams enthusiastically recommended the book on The Book Review, with Paul calling it one of her absolute favorites and Williams praising its short, impactful narrative style alongside Maxwell's other works. During the same podcast series, AO Scott joined Paul to discuss William Maxwell's late-career literary success, examining how So Long, See You Tomorrow revisits the author's childhood and noting its unusual narrative perspective, including a memorable section written from the point of view of a dog involved in the story's central crime. The hosts and guests also connected the novella to Maxwell's broader literary bibliography, referencing titles like They Came Like Swallows and Time Will Darken It as examples of his deeply moving exploration of memory and loss. Across these discussions, the speakers emphasize the enduring power of Maxwell's prose, marveling at his ability to capture the haunting echoes of the past and recommending his short novels as essential reading for anyone interested in mid-century American literature and personal history.
Who recommended it
- AO Scott Discussed
- Pamela Paul Recommended
- John Williams Recommended
- Greg Cole Discussed
- Greg Cowles Discussed
AO Scott — 4 mentions
“and I think especially later on he had a big success kind of late in life with a novel called so long to you tomorrow almost a Nolla again revisiting his childhood”
“and it was almost like in so many of these books whether it's so long see you tomorrow or or time will darken it or they came like swallows or the late short Story collection”
“and of course there's that moment in soong see you tomorrow where he actually goes in the head of a dog”
“and so and the dog and so long C tomorrow is a is a very important character in a way because it's the story is about this crime”
Pamela Paul — 2 mentions
“I read the novel or it's maybe it's more of a Nolla by William Maxwell called so long see you tomorrow one of my absolute favorites”
“in my case I want to reread it right now but so long see you tomorrow and they came like swallows are probably the two of his best known books you mentioned earlier that time will darken it is your favorite”
John Williams — 2 mentions
“and they recently did one of my favorite books which Greg had talked about earlier this year called so long see you tomorrow a brief novel by William Maxwell”
“so long see you tomorrow another short novel of his is one of my favorite books so I would recommend both of those”
Greg Cole — 1 mention
“May remember on the last podcast I was is reading the William Maxwell novel so long see you tomorrow”
Greg Cowles — 1 mention
“and now I'm reading William Maxwell's novel so long see you tomorrow”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
- They Came Like Swallows
- 11/22/63
- A Child's Christmas in Wales
- A childhood, the biography of a place
- Ancestors
- Apollo's Arrow
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“for me it's usually those shortish kind of pristin is books that I'll read like William Maxwell so long see you tomorrow”