On the Spotlight this week, Meredith O’Brien chats about her latest novel, Louie on the Rocks

Author Name: Meredith O’Brien

Book Title: Louie on the Rocks

Book Genre: Fiction

Release Date: 2/4/25

Publisher: SparkPress

Welcome, Meredith! How would you describe Louie on the Rocks?

A recently-widowed, retired MAGA father and his queer, Elizabeth Warren-loving, bookseller daughter face off over her attempts to take control of his finances in this dark comedy about family dysfunction fueled by ferocious partisanship, vodka, and a reluctant daughter’s guilt.

What sparked the idea for this book?

I’d been working on a different novel when I couldn’t stop thinking about the political polarization in the country. During the COVID shutdowns, the 2020 presidential election, and the Black Lives Matter protests, my father and I began openly skirmishing on social media about politics; this was the first time we’d ever done this. As a writer, I wanted to delve into why I felt compelled to respond and how the intense polarization of the Trump era exacerbated familial fault lines around the country. (By the way, I see my father regularly and we no longer discuss politics on- or offline.)

How long did it take for you to write the book? Did you do any research?

It took me about two years to finish the first draft.

I did a lot of research. It’s kind of my thing. I dove into the subjects of adult children coping with aging parents, and how families handle substance abuse and grief, and deal with situations where a member may need involuntary help with their finances. The stories I found helped me craft a concrete story that felt tethered to reality.

What drew you to writing book club fiction?

I see my writing as down-to-earth, approachable. I tend to write as though I’m having a conversation with a reader. Maybe it’s a byproduct of my days as a newspaper reporter where the job was to enable readers to easily comprehend the story in as few words as possible.

Years later, I discovered that the various book clubs to which I belonged seemed to embrace selections that were down-to-earth and approachable, books that weren’t opaque or too clever by half. That’s where I, as a writer, feel most at home.

What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?

My favorite part about being an author is the enormous privilege of sharing my stories with others and engaging in meaningful discussions about them. For example, after I wrote a memoir about being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, I heard from MS patients who felt seen and heard after reading my book. If my work — whether it’s a novel or a memoir — can truly move people, then I feel as though my efforts were worth it.

The most challenging aspect? The deep feeling of vulnerability you experience when you offer up to the public, stories that have emerged from your brain, your heart. It can be wildly humbling and more than a wee bit terrifying.

If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read Louie on the Rocks?

Many people will eventually come to a point where they and their aging parents disagree over the way the parents (or a parent) are living their lives. (Or the reverse, the aging parents disagree with what their adult children are trying to persuade them to do.) How do they bridge the disagreement? And if there’s already political tension overlaying the relationship, how do people who love one another move forward?

Louie explores how one family, already estranged by intense political polarization, navigates these waters when a daughter believes she’s “saving” her father, who’s been drinking excessively after his wife’s death, by taking him to court to have someone else (maybe her) take over her father’s finances.

Fill in the blank: Readers who liked _____(Book Title)____will also like Louie on the Rocks.

Readers who liked This is Where I Leave You, Let’s Not Do This Again, Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Where’d You Go Bernadette, and Tracy Flick Can’t Win will also like Louie on the Rocks.

What do you hope readers will take away from this story?

I want them to ponder this question: What do adult children owe their aging parents?

What about the writing/editing/publishing process has been the most surprising to you so far?

Persuading someone to publish your work feels very much like a public relations campaign. It can be challenging for introverted folks.

Any words of wisdom you give your pre-published writer self (or to a new writer)?

You will get discouraged. A lot. But eventually, the right venue or the right person will say, “Yes.”

What are your interests outside of writing and reading?

I love sports, specifically watching the Boston Red Sox, the Liverpool Football Club (in England), and professional hoops (WNBA, NBA). And I’m a bit of a nutty dog mom.

Are you working on a new project? Please tell us about it. 

I’m working on two projects.

The sequel to my 2020 medical memoir is slated to be published in 2025. Uncomfortably Numb 2 (Wyatt-MacKenzie) will feature stories and advice from multiple sclerosis patients – including me – about how we’ve managed and lived with our MS.

I’m also working on a nonfiction book about shadowing a thirtysomething minister in her first full, in-person year (her first year was interrupted by COVID) leading a small, Massachusetts, Unitarian Universalist congregation. The Making of a Millennial Minister will follow a new minister through generational differences, church growing pains, budgetary constraints, and personal health challenges.

What was the last book you read? What did you think of it?

I finished Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan yesterday. I am fascinated by the impact of its spare language and the volume of emotions contained in this compact novel. I have the desire to immediately re-read it in order to try to decode its power.

Where can readers find you?

I spent an embarrassing amount of time on Threads (@MeredithOBrien) and Instagram (@MeredithOBrien). You can direct-message me on either platform. Additionally, I have a website (mereditheobrien.com) where I post events and info.

Thank you, Meredith! Louie on the Rocks releases on February 4 and is available for pre-order.

Louie on the Rocks

For fans of Tom Perrotta, Maria Semple, and Elinor Lipman, a dark comedy about family dysfunction fueled by bitter Trump-era politics, vodka, and a reluctant daughter’s guilt.

Set against a backdrop of bitterly partisan Facebook feuds and a Trump flag set aflame in a driveway, Louie on the Rocks follows the disintegration of the Francis family six months after the premature death of their matriarch, Helen. In his wife’s absence, retired MAGA patriarch Louie descends into an alcoholic spiral and his liberal, queer, bookseller daughter Lulu responds, in a clumsy attempt to save her father from himself, by taking him to court to seize control over his finances.

Told by Louie, Lulu, and Helen–who is watching in horror from the great beyond—this is the tale of a trio with very different takes on the messy events of 2019.

Author bio:

Meredith O’Brien, a former newspaper reporter and investigative journalist, is the author of four books. She teaches journalism and writing in Massachusetts, where she also roots for her beloved Red Sox. Meredith lives in the Boston area with her husband and their loud, goofy dogs. https://www.mereditheobrien.com