The flippant title of this review shouldn’t be used to dismiss Ashland, the debut novel from Dan Simon set in New Hampshire, in its entirety. The book is not without its praiseworthy elements.
From my own reading notes: “Simon is excellent at depicting rich inner lives. There is a focus on how we interact with the natural world. Portions of Ashland make New Hampshire feel like paradise.”
The noted Colm Tóibín said, “Ashland is remarkable for its range of acutely observed characters and its rich evocation of the landscape and weather of New Hampshire. Dan Simon creates a tapestry of voices and tones with extraordinary skill and emotional resonance.”
I agree with all of the above. And yet, there is also a repetitive and formulaic quality to the characters’ inner musings, mainly having to do with the simultaneous embrace of opposites: I am this, but I am also that. I am happy, but I am not. I am too full of life to live. Etc. This repeated clutching at antitheses to define or underscore meaning becomes tiresome by the second half of the book. And, the flat, declarative language in which opposites are embraced creates a sort of false profundity, the “poetry” that some reviewers have noted.
The book ends rather abruptly, too. When it does, one feels the characters were never quite finished, never fully defined, despite their extensive pondering.
It’s a shame—Mr. Simon, the founder of the independent publisher Seven Stories Press, is obviously a talented writer and his love of the natural world in general and New Hampshire in particular is never in doubt. Edith and Gordon, an older couple who originally met in a 1920s tuberculosis sanatorium, are perhaps the most richly drawn characters here, and the least subject to the criticism leveled above. All in all, Ashland remains an interesting read.
Ashland. Europa Editions. Publication Date: Feb. 17, 2026.