Hello everyone,
My latest A-Z post takes me to the letter ‘O’. It is not the most common for character names and settings, but I have read several books beginning with this letter.
I managed to remember enough for a total of 20 – here they are!
Odile Bastian
The main narrator in The Muse by Jessie Burton. Odile is a young woman who comes to London in the 1950s and begins working at an art gallery, where she becomes entwined in the mystery of a masterpiece called Rufina and the Lion. Her timeline is told as a retrospective account written years after the event.
Odile Souchet
Another memorable protagonist called Odile came along in The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles. She works at the American Library in Paris before and during the Second World War, falling in love with the Dewey Decimal System. She also appears as a secretive older woman in a later timeline who forms a bond with a lonely teenage girl.
Odysseus
The most learned of the Greeks, who is among the army that sails to Troy. Once the war is over, he takes an eternity to return to his kingdom of Ithaca. He has appeared in a handful of retellings I have read, most prominently in The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
Old Tom
A lethal, demonic entity that threatens the ship Saardam in The Devil And The Dark Water by Stuart Turton. Old Tom possesses one of the crew members, meaning that nobody is safe from his deadly intentions.
Olive Schloss
Another of the main characters in The Muse, Olive is a talented young artist living in civil war era Spain. In the company of the more established, radical painter Isaac Robles, the quality of her work goes unnoticed, with fascinating consequences.
Olivia
A rather tragic character from The Guest List by Lucy Foley. She is at the wedding of Will and Jules, but while a murder is taking place, she is distracted by the many personal issues she is having to deal with.
Olivia Sweetman
The main character from The Night Visitor by Lucy Atkins. A professor who also works as a television presenter and historian, her latest work is full of deceit as she takes the credit for a discovery made by a mysterious housekeeper.
The Once And Future Witches
A book by Alix E. Harrow, which belongs on my all-time favourites list. I read it in 2020 and was entirely blown away by its fantastical plot, captivating writing, and wonderful characters. It has just about everything.
Once Upon A River
This book was released to much hype back in 2018 and it did not take me long to read it. What I enjoyed most was the beautiful level of storytelling; poetic in a way and almost like it was celebrating the art. I gave it five stars at the time, although on reflection four stars may have been more appropriate – still really liked it, though!
The One Hundred Years Of Lenni And Margot
Another favourite book! I read this debut novel by Marianne Cronin in late 2022 and I can unashamedly say that it made me cry on a few occasions. It is about two ill patients on a hospital ward whose ages add up to 100, and they have such interesting, powerful stories to tell.
The One Memory Of Flora Banks
The first young adult novel by Emily Barr, which I read in the summer of 2018. It has divided opinion slightly, but I quite enjoyed it. Flora is a girl with an extremely short-term memory who goes on an unlikely yet empowering journey.
One Of Us Is Lying
Karen M. McManus’ debut and one of the foremost young adult mystery novels of the past few years. It took me some time to read this one but I loved it, with four students present at the death of Simon Kelleher and accused of poisoning him. It is the first of a trilogy, followed by One Of Us Is Next and One Of Us Is Back – which I am planning to start reading this week.
The less said about the Netflix adaptation, the better.
Oren
Or to give him his full name, John Oren. He becomes Avery Grambs’ bodyguard when she inherits Tobias Hawthorne’s fortune in The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. To say he is fastidious is an understatement.
Original Version
In The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell, a woman called Birdie Dunlop-Evers takes up residence in the home of Henry and his parents, bringing her rather evil boyfriend David Thomson. She is a former member of the band Original Version, and the house was once used to film one of their music videos.
Os Alta
In the many Grishaverse stories by Leigh Bardugo beginning with the Shadow and Bone trilogy, Os Alta is capital of the kingdom of Ravka – the home of the Little Palace.
Otera
The world where The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is set. It is a place of patriarchy and oppression.
The Other Child
It was this book that first introduced me to the work of Lucy Atkins, who writes such intelligent thrillers with unique concepts. This one is about a woman who moves to the United States with her new husband, but she does not know him as well as she thinks.
Otto
The lead manservant of Johannes Brandt in The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. A strong and principled man, his relationship with another member of the household becomes very significant. In the sequel, The House Of Fortune, Otto is now the master of the house.
Oxford
One of my favourite cities and the setting for a lot of books I have read, including His Dark Materials, Magpie Lane, May Day, and Cara Hunter’s DI Adam Fawley series.
Owen Pick
A social misfit who becomes the prime suspect when teenager Saffyre Maddox goes missing in Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell. He is a classic example of someone who is vilified because he just cannot fit in.
Oyinkan Braithwaite
The author of provocative thriller My Sister, The Serial Killer, which really caught the eye and earned her recognition and award nominations. It is a short yet crazy book that people seem to either love or hate – I was in the love category!
Let’s Chat
Have you come across any of these books, settings, authors, or characters? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading 🙂
Stephen Reads Books 