Strout conveys such engaging (and at times repulsive) portrayals of her characters, revealing to us flawed and broken individuals that felt real enough to me that I couldn't help but have visceral reactions to them and their choices. From Suzanne, caught between her past and her future, struggling with the realities of who her parents truly were, to Olive, as she wanted to welcome her son and his family into her home but bungled the experience, I still found ways to have compassion for them and be invested in their lives.
The stories focus on Olive's later years, including family dynamics, marriages, and friendships, and they also address what it is to live a life well, wrestling with how others perceive us and ways we've failed others, and coming to terms with loneliness and what it is to love.
(I received a digital ARC from Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)
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