How do you write a sequel to a Pulitzer Prize winning novel? It is probably a rare occurrence and may never have even happened before. But Elizabeth Strout takes on the challenge and is triumphant. Now that gets me wondering if a sequel to a Pulitzer Prize winning book has ever won a Pulitzer Prize?
I was thrilled to see the story of Olive Kitteridge continue into a second volume and jumped at the chance to read it. Not surprisingly, Elizabeth Strout did not disappoint. While she is a brilliant storyteller, she never ceases to amaze me with her insight into human nature.
It was delightful to be able to visit again with Olive and the inhabitants, both old and new, of Crosby, Maine. The structure of the book is the same as previously — short stories which feature Olive while others focus on other people living in Crosby. But once again, Olive is the thread that ties all these stories together.
Olive continues her psychological evolution, becoming more self-aware and gaining a better understanding of herself. She comes to to appreciate universal truths about the human condition. Her growing insight into herself comes from many sources.
Olive sees some of her flaws in others and then makes the connection to herself — for instance, she sees her daughter-in-law yelling at her son in front of others and realizes she did the same thing to her husband.
She reflects on her past, recognizing her mistakes as well as her psychological shortcomings. Olive realizes that she has become a somewhat better person over time and regrets that Harry was unable to benefit from it.
She overhears her daughter-in-law describe her as narcissistic, looks it up in the dictionary but cannot see how it applies. Later, she comes to understand that she talks a lot about herself and encourages her companion at the time to take over the conversation, assuring her that she’ll return to talking about herself.
Olive contemplates moments of regret, wishing she could have done things differently. She realizes that she was unkind to her husband in his final years and she feels remorse. Also, she comes to understand that her relationship with her son is lacking in so many ways,
It came to her then with a horrible whoosh of the crescendo of truth: She had failed on a colossal level. She must have been failing for years and not realized it. She did not have a family as other people did.
Olive reads a poem about herself written by the Poet Laureate, a former student of her’s who she recently met up with, and while dismissing it at first, she comes to see the truth in it. She is positively amazed that the author, knowing so little about her, had more insight into her than she did.
Many characters in this book wonder who they are and how others perceive them. We meet them when they are reflecting on their lives and questioning their identity. We learn how fragile those identities can be. For example, one character learns later in life that contrary to what he believed at the time, he was not responsible for a tragic event. While relieved, he feels that he has lost a little bit of his identity.
The writing is just as wonderful as Olive Kitteridge — the world is richly described and the characters have tremendous depth.
The truth is that Olive did not understand why age had brought with it a kind of hard-heartedness toward her husband. But it was something she had seemed unable to help, as though the stone wall that had rambled along between them during the course of their long marriage—a stone wall that separated them but also provided unexpected dips of moss-covered warm spots where sunshine would flicker between them in a sudden laugh of understanding—had become tall and unyielding.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group/Random House and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
