Oh, William!, by Elizabeth Strout
1/60 | Started 12.26.22 • Finished 01.05.23 | 3.5 stars
What a quirky little book! Told from the point of view of Lucy Barton, a twice-married write from New York City, we come to learn a lot about he human condition based largely on her interactions with her ex-husband, William. Theirs is a somewhat bizarre relationship, more than cordial, sometimes intimate, and often closed off. When William receives an ancestry kit as a gift, it reveals mysteries and secrets that will rock William and Lucy, and their relationship with one another.
We crave authority. We do. No matter what anyone says, we crave that sense of authority. Of believing that in the presence of this person we are safe.
Lucy frequently recounts histories in an unusual staccato fashion, which makes for a stream of consciousness type of read that won't appeal to everyone. For the most part, I did not mind it. I found it to be interesting to see what present day events would trigger memories and observations. Oftentimes we can only see the truth of our past when looking back at it. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that. While I didn't much like the conclusion of the book - which wasn't a conclusion at all really - I gather that Strout has and will continue to write books about Lucy Barton so maybe she wanted to leave it open ended. Overall, a quick, easy, and enjoyable read at 3.5 stars.
This is the way of life: the many things we do not know until it is too late.
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