The Late Mr. Hassler

As I was catching up on emails upon my return from Spring Break (now there's an opportunity for a blog topic!), I discovered that Jon Hassler died last week. This was the note on Shelf Awareness from Friday, March 21st:

Jon Hassler, who "suffered from a longtime neurological disorder," died Thursday at the age of 74, according to the Associated Press (via USA Today), which noted that, despite his deteriorating health, the author of Staggerford and other novels about small-town life "continued work on a book, Jay O'Malley, until his death."

In a 1995 AP interview, Hassler said "he liked writing about misfits. 'You can't write a novel about somebody who's perfectly happy.'"

What a shame! As my previous entry noted, I've been a fan of his books for many years and reading of his passing is saddening. But he will live on as others discover his books--those "misfits" make for good reading.

Requiescat in Pace.