Book Review - Lucy by the Sea - Elizabeth Stroud

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In March 2020 Lucy's ex-husband William pleads with her to leave New York and escape to a coastal house he has rented in Maine. Lucy reluctantly agrees, leaving the washing-up in the sink, expecting to be back in a week or two. Weeks turn into months, and it's just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the sea.

Rich with empathy and a searing clarity, Lucy by the Sea evokes the fragility and uncertainty of the recent past, as well as the possibilities that those long, quiet days can inspire. At the heart of this miraculous novel are the deep human connections that sustain us, even as the world seems to be falling apart.

Another book by Elizabeth Strout that I have enjoyed. Following on from Lucy Barton becoming a widow and her ex-husband William becoming single again this takes place during the pandemic when William persuades Lucy to isolate with him in Maine.

Strout captures the stresses caused by the pandemic well and how Lucy and her family cope with being in lock-down. Lucy is a complicated character, annoying at times but I just love the way Strout writes.

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