OLIVE KITTERIDGE

OLIVE KITTERIDGE by Elizabeth Strout

From the back of the book:

At times stern, at other times patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town of Crosby, Maine, and in the world at large, but she doesn't always recognize the changes in those around her:  a lounge musician haunted by a past romance; a former student who has lost the will to live; Olive's own adult child, who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and her husband, Henry, who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse.

As the townspeople grapple with their problems, mild and dire, Olive is brought to a deeper understanding of herself and her life - sometimes painfully, but always with ruthless honesty.  Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition - its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires.

This was an unusual book.  Actually a group of related short stores, each one including Olive Kitteridge.  Some stories were all about Olive and her husband and son; in others Olive was mentioned very briefly, as short as a sentence in some.

I had a hard time liking Olive.  I thought her to be hard and unfeeling at times, not very tolerant of shortcomings in others.  It wasn't until near the end of the book that I saw Olive in a different light - she was a sad, lonely woman with very low self-esteem.  Realizing that fact, I was able to see her in a different light in the earlier stories.

All in all, a very different but interesting book.