Book review: My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout (Penguin Viking).

Summary

LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2016 AND THE BAILEYS WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2016. A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER.

An exquisite story of mothers and daughters from the Pulitzer prize-winning author of Olive Kitteridge.

Lucy is recovering from an operation in a New York hospital when she wakes to find her estranged mother sitting by her bed. They have not seen one another in years. As they talk Lucy finds herself recalling her troubled rural childhood and how it was she eventually arrived in the big city, got married and had children. But this unexpected visit leaves her doubting the life she's made: wondering what is lost and what has yet to be found.

Review

In My Name Is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout takes us on a deeply personal and heartfelt journey, exploring the complexities of human connections and the lasting impact of childhood experiences. The author's writing style is delicate and intimate, drawing readers into the emotional world of Lucy Barton, who reflects on her past while lying in a hospital bed. What  I love most about her novels is Elizabeth Strout's ability to create genuine and flawed characters, making the story feel authentic and relatable.

“It interests me how we find ways to feel superior to another person, another group of people. It happens everywhere, and all the time. Whatever we call it, I think it’s the lowest part of who we are, this need to find someone else to put down.”

The author explores empathy and hope amidst adversity. As Lucy reconnects with her estranged mother, we witness the power of understanding and forgiveness in healing old wounds. "[…] it was the sound of my mother’s voice I most needed" Lucy reflects, highlighting the profound longing for connection that threads through the narrative. The long-lasting impact of childhood trauma on adulthood is an essential theme in this novel. Lucy's reflections on her past highlight the enduring emotional scars that shape her present. "Lonely was the first flavor I had tasted in my life, and it was always there," Lucy confesses, illustrating the lingering effects of a challenging upbringing.

I also loved the way the author speaks of writing, of literature through her novelist character, Sarah Paine.

“[...] she said that her job as a writer of fiction was to report on the human condition, to tell us who  we are and what we think and what we do.”

“You will have only one story,” she had said.

“You’ll write your own story many ways. Don’t ever worry about story. You have only one.”

To dig deeper

My review of Olive Kitteridge