Our Souls At Night

Our Souls at Night is Colorado author Kent Haruf’s last novel, and it was published in 2015, after his death. Like much of Haruf’s other writing, this novel is set in the fictional town of Holt, Colorado. The novel begins with 70-year-old Addie Moore making a proposition to her neighbor Louis Waters that they sleep together—literally, not sexually—in order to combat the loneliness that they often feel, especially at night. They have both lost their spouses and their children have moved away, so they turn to one another for companionship. Their bedtime conversations allow them to review their lives and share their regrets, mistakes, and joys with one another. However, rumors spread quickly in a small town, and soon the two must grapple with the reactions and misunderstandings of those around them.

This study guide refers to the 2015 Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Kindle Edition.

Content Warning: The source text depicts the death of a child in a violent accident.

Plot Summary

Addie Moore and Louis Waters are widowed neighbors in their seventies. Addie proposes that they spend their nights together, just talking and sharing a bed for companionship, in an attempt to fight off the loneliness they both feel after their spouses’ deaths.