(Bought at Barnes and Noble) Elizabeth Strout brings together the various strands of her previous novels in a touching, heartbreaking finale (or is it?) set in the tiny Maine town of Crosby. The author Lucy Barton continues her friendship with 90-year-old Olive Kitteredge. They visit and tell each other stories of friends and acquittances who led "unrecorded" lives. But neither is the main character. This time it's Bob Burgess (whose story is told in the novel The Burgess Boys and who has appeared in previous Lucy Barton books.) Bob was traumatized as a child when he believes he accidentally killed his father. In the recent novels, he developed a friendship with Lucy when they started taking long walks to pass the time during the COVID pandemic. The main action of this novel concerns Bob's growing love for Lucy, though both are in relationships. Bob is married to Margaret, a minister and Lucy is living with her ex-husband William. (Both Margaret and William are somewhat narcissistic.) Also, Bob, a lawyer, takes up the case of Matthew, who is accused of killing his mother. Bob and many of the characters are damaged by life. Through small, seemingly insignificant details, Strout examines how our lives are interconnected and we can chose to overcome the ruptures caused by generations of hurt. After telling many sad stories of "unrecorded" people, Lucy asks Olive and Bill what's the point. The response is it's just life. You'll drive yourself crazy if you try to find hidden meaning. Lucy, Bob, Olive, Matthew and the citizens of Crosby muddle through in spite of the pandemic, political fissures, and personal tragedies. All are treated with compassion.
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