Strout's novel continues the chronicling of Lucy Barton's life in the small town of Crosby, Maine, where she and her ex-husband William had gone during the pandemic. This time, the focus is more on her good friend Bob Burgess, whom she often meets to walk and talk. Olive Kitteridge, another of Strout's characters from other novels, also appears. Olive is ninety and she's also a friend of Bob's. She doesn't know Lucy, but she decides she wants to share a story with her, since Lucy is a published author. The relationship between Lucy and Olive is a bit tentative at first, but as the novel progresses, the women continue to meet to share stories.
As much as I liked the two women's stories, I was more intrigued by Bob's life, sketched out in Strout's understated way: his life with his second wife, Margaret, a pastor; his continuing friendship with his first wife, Pam; and his involvement in a legal case where a man seems to be a person of interest in his mother's disappearance. A prominent feature is Bob's friendship with Lucy, who often seems to be the only person who really understands him.
Strout's quiet realism continues to draw me in to her novels.
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