Book Reviews – Lucy by the Sea

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

Lucy By The Sea follows on from My Name Is Lucy Barton and Oh William! Elizabeth Strout writes about ordinary people living everyday lives, but with such richness that it’s hard not to be pulled back into Lucy Barton’s life. We follow as Lucy is going about her days, grieving for the loss of her husband David, when William calls to say that he wants Lucy to get out of New York and stay with him in Maine. The pandemic is hitting and Lucy seems not to understand how vulnerable she is. She reads about what is happening and watches the news daily from the house in Maine, but sees it all through a haze. We come to understand how she feels about her awful childhood, her daughters, her late husband, William and all the new people she meets at the new house. This is such clever and honest writing and I love everything Elizabeth Strout produces. Oh, and the famous Olive Kitteridge is mentioned in passing. Just magic.