Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Stout
I absolutely loved this book and am irritated with myself for waiting so long to read it. It is a novel comprised of loosely-linked short stories, each of which can stand on its own, set in a small community in rural Maine. The stories span several decades, and a few are more than a little disturbing. What links the stories is the prickly character of Olive Kitteridge, who appears in all of them, in some as the main character and in others only peripherally.
A retired school teacher, wife and mother, Olive is a difficult woman - strong-willed, sharply intelligent, with a biting wit. Although she is fictional, she felt far more real to me than the living, breathing people in my own life. I felt like I understood her, even when I found myself cringing at the things she said or did. Through Olive and her community we experience growing older, love and loss, loneliness and regret. I found this book incredibly moving. I finished it several weeks ago, and yet I still find myself thinking about it, and the characters, particularly Olive. It has been a while since a novel had this kind of impact on me. That is why I read.
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