 | A WRITER'S WIT |  S. McCauley |
MY BOOK WORLD
Strout, Elizabeth. Lucy by the Sea. New York: Random, 2022.
Reuniting characters Strout has created in previous novels (Oh William, My Name is Lucy Barton), she sets this novel in early 2020 when the COVID-19 lockdown begins. William, Lucy’s former husband who has remained a good friend, convinces her that they should abandon their separate New York apartments and live out whatever is to happen in the state of Maine. Mention is even made of Olive Kitteridge, and Bob Burgess, also a member of Strout’s quirky repertory company, plays a major role.
In this novel, Strout does what others writing about the pandemic of 2020 do not. She takes readers through each and every sad step that some people on the East Coast must make in order to survive: vacating New York City apartments and escaping to rural Maine until the Okay is given by the government. She explores the mixed feelings people have about the shutdown, feelings that people who live in other parts of the country may not experience.
Lucy and William, now divorced twenty years, function as friends and roommates, although they do share two adult daughters, Chrissy and Becka. The dynamic among the four is fascinating, because you’re never sure what each is going to do in regard to the other three. At least once a week, Lucy takes a walk with Bob Burgess, a happily married man. However, he likes to sneak a cigarette during the walks, a practice he cannot carry out with his wife. Lucy always feels good after their talks, although their relationship remains Plutonic. William, a scientist, has seen this pandemic coming and always seems to have the answers for their daily lives. When and where to wear masks, all the other ways they can protect themselves from the virus. William and Lucy, because of their closeness and because of the comfort in their relationship, decide they will live post-pandemic in New York City but in separate abodes, remaining close friends with benefits, one of which is not marriage.
For me to reunite with characters I’ve loved in other books, it is like reuniting with family or at least good friends. As always, Strout’s novel is a page-turner. I can’t wait to see what my friends are going to do or say next. More important, I wonder what impact their lives will have on mine.
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WEDS: A Writer's Wit | Denis Johnson
THURS: A Writer's Wit | Hermann Hesse
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My Book World | My Book World: Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant. Stuff You Should Know: An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things
Reuniting characters Strout has created in previous novels (Oh William, My Name is Lucy Barton), she sets this novel in early 2020 when the COVID-19 lockdown begins. William, Lucy’s former husband who has remained a good friend, convinces her that they should abandon their separate New York apartments and live out whatever is to happen in the state of Maine. Mention is even made of Olive Kitteridge, and Bob Burgess, also a member of Strout’s quirky repertory company, plays a major role.
In this novel, Strout does what others writing about the pandemic of 2020 do not. She takes readers through each and every sad step that some people on the East Coast must make in order to survive: vacating New York City apartments and escaping to rural Maine until the Okay is given by the government. She explores the mixed feelings people have about the shutdown, feelings that people who live in other parts of the country may not experience.
Lucy and William, now divorced twenty years, function as friends and roommates, although they do share two adult daughters, Chrissy and Becka. The dynamic among the four is fascinating, because you’re never sure what each is going to do in regard to the other three. At least once a week, Lucy takes a walk with Bob Burgess, a happily married man. However, he likes to sneak a cigarette during the walks, a practice he cannot carry out with his wife. Lucy always feels good after their talks, although their relationship remains Plutonic. William, a scientist, has seen this pandemic coming and always seems to have the answers for their daily lives. When and where to wear masks, all the other ways they can protect themselves from the virus. William and Lucy, because of their closeness and because of the comfort in their relationship, decide they will live post-pandemic in New York City but in separate abodes, remaining close friends with benefits, one of which is not marriage.
For me to reunite with characters I’ve loved in other books, it is like reuniting with family or at least good friends. As always, Strout’s novel is a page-turner. I can’t wait to see what my friends are going to do or say next. More important, I wonder what impact their lives will have on mine.
Up Next:
TUES: A Writer's Wit | Assia Djebar
WEDS: A Writer's Wit | Denis Johnson
THURS: A Writer's Wit | Hermann Hesse
FRI: A Writer's Wit | M. F. K. Fisher
My Book World | My Book World: Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant. Stuff You Should Know: An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things
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