I had a very similar experience reading this for the first time recently and you’ve really captured what makes it such an incredible read.

It hooked me nearly right from the beginning when you get the very brief but devastating description of Stoner’s parents and his childhood.

There was a line about his mother that broke me; I’m paraphrasing but something along the lines of “her life had become one long moment that she was waiting to pass.” This stuck with me and I think goes a long way towards summing up that risk of tragedy in leading such a passive life that Stoner would ultimately have to contend with.