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ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
Elizabeth Strout
Random House
April 25, 2017
254 Pages
Written in a style very similar to Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winningĀ novel, Olive Kitteridge, (one of my favorite books of all time), Anything Is Possible is a collection of interrelated short stories that alsoĀ connect toĀ the main character inĀ her last book, My Name Is Lucy Barton. The stories featureĀ people from the same small, poor town whereĀ Lucy grew up, andĀ mostĀ of the characters interact with Lucy, on some level, at least once inĀ each chapter. So the book is mainly about these otherĀ characters, but also still very much about Lucy.
I absolutely loved My Name Is Lucy Barton. NowĀ I know many people criticized Strout for writing a book that didn’t give a whole lot of answers about itsĀ main character. LucyĀ staysĀ a mystery throughout—the details of her life, and especiallyĀ of the abuse she suffered, areĀ vague. But I loved the nebulousnessĀ of that book. I appreciatedĀ how all Lucy’sĀ feelzĀ weren’tĀ spelled out for theĀ reader. We were toldĀ herĀ story from herĀ perspective, and we weren’t going to be able to understand what Lucy herself couldn’t understand—which makes sense. As Trevor Noah says in Born a Crime, “Growing up in a home of abuse, you struggle with the notion that you can love a person you hate, or hate a person you love. It’s a strange feeling. You want to live in a world where someone is good or bad, where you either hate them or love them, but that’s not how people are.” AbuseĀ is confusing. It’s hard to know exactly how to feel, and My Name Is Lucy Barton communicatedĀ that dilemma perfectly.
Since I had already made peace with what I knew (and didn’t know) about Lucy, and felt no need to know more, Anything Is Possible kind of irritated me. Strout takes a more black and white approach in this book: the past is spelled out, the reality and consequences of abuse are very visible and clearcut, and I knew exactly how I was supposed to feel about all of it. It was all very, I don’t know…obvious. And that disappointed me somewhat. I was halfway through the book before I finally just accepted the premise and gave myself permission to appreciate the story for what it was.
So, ultimately, I have mixed feelings about Anything Is Possible. There is no denying that Strout knows how to tell a good story, and there are some truly beautiful moments in this book. Unfortunately, though, it wasn’t exactly the story I wanted.
Advanced Reader Copy provided through Amazon Vine.
This is a wonderful review. Thanks, Lorilin!
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Good review, Lorilin. š — Suzanne
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Thanks, Patricia!
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