Chuck Klosterman

With the essays and musings in books such as Fargo Rock City and Chuck Klosterman IV, nerdy-hip Midwesterner Klosterman has made a name for himself as an irreverently keen observer of pop culture. Downtown Owl is the native North Dakotan's first foray into novel writing. Taking place in the fictional town of Owl, North Dakota, in 1983, and garnering comparisons to The Last Picture Show, the novel is told from the perspectives of a second-string high-school football player, a young woman who is the new social studies teacher, and a 73-year-old widower who spends his days gabbing and downing cups of coffee.