Book Review: "The One That Got Away" by Mike Gayle

When Reuben met Beth, he knew he’d found someone special, someone he wanted to spend his life with. But while Reuben fell head over heels in love with Beth, she declared she didn’t believe in love. That’s not a good foundation for a relationship, is it?

Six months ago, they broke up. Needless to say, Reuben is shocked to learn that Beth is getting married this coming weekend. Yep, his ex-girlfriend who didn’t believe in love is going to get married, to someone other than Reuben.

“This was not the way we were meant to end up; we were supposed to get our hard-earned, written-in-the-stars, course-of-true-love-never-did-run-smooth-but-comes-good-eventually happy ever after. What on earth went wrong?”

Reuben’s friends spring into action to protect him from losing his mind on the day of Beth’s wedding. They plan a whole host of wild activities, even renting a bright red Ferrari for the day. But then Reuben gets a call that will throw not only all of their plans, but also Reuben’s heart, into disarray.

This was a cute story about how you figure out whether a person is truly right for you. It alternates back and forth between the past and the present, illustrating the rise and fall of Reuben and Beth’s relationship.

I would have loved if this story were narrated by both Reuben and Beth instead of just Reuben. It would’ve added a bit more depth to see how similar and how far apart they were from each other. But this was still sweet.

It will publish 5/1/2025.

Book Review: "Two Women Walk Into a Bar" by Cheryl Strayed

Sounds like the setup to a joke, doesn’t it? But this story by Cheryl Strayed definitely packs an emotional punch.

Cheryl and her husband Brian get the news that Brian’s mother Joan is dying. It’s not unexpected news but obviously it’s still a blow, and it causes major upheaval in their lives. As they work on moving Joan into the assisted living facility in her community, Cheryl reflects on their relationship, nearly 20 years to the day that Cheryl first met Joan.

“Over the previous two decades, we’d come to love each other, but it was a particular, conditional sort of love, one based on circumstance and courtesy rather than connection and compatibility.”

Like many relationships between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, there was always a note of competition between the two, fighting for superiority in Brian’s life. Joan praised Cheryl, but always with qualifiers or slight condescension. (She once said, “You’re big, but you’re firm. Like sculpted butter.”) Joan was always a small reminder of Cheryl’s mother, who died of cancer when Cheryl was much younger.

This was beautifully told, full of humorous and poignant moments. Cheryl not only has to process her own emotions in the wake of Joan’s impending death, but also be sensitive to Brian’s grief, and help their two young children comprehend the loss of the only grandparent they’d ever known.

If you’ve recently experienced loss, this may be a bit triggering for you. But as always, I’m struck by Strayed’s storytelling ability, making you care about people you don’t know.

Book Review: "Show Don't Tell" by Curtis Sittenfeld

In 2005, I was working at a bookstore and one of my colleagues told me to read a book called Prep. It was excellent, despite my never having gone to a prep school, and that book launched my love of Curtis Sittenfeld’s storytelling.

Now, 20 years later, I’ve read all of her books, including her newest one, which is a collection of short stories. For me, as much as I love short stories, collections are often uneven, but this book was uniformly excellent. Sittenfeld’s writing is sharp and funny and emotional, and her stories are all so much more complex than they seem at first.

The story that has gotten the most attention is “Lost But Not Forgotten.” It follows Lee, the main character of Prep, as she attends her 30-year reunion. She also recalls an encounter with perhaps the school’s most famous alumnus. (It’s okay if you’ve never read or don’t remember Prep.)

So many of the other stories in the book really wowed me. In “The Richest Babysitter in the World,” a woman remembers working as a babysitter for a Jeff Bezos-like character on the cusp of Amazon’s creation. “White Women LOL” follows a suburban wife and mother whose social blunder (is she or isn’t she a racist) goes viral. “Creative Differences” is about a documentary crew’s travel to Wichita, Kansas, and the trouble that ensues when a subject feels misled.

Other stories I enjoyed were “The Marriage Clock,” about a filmmaker who meets the author of a relationship manual—and is surprised by her visit; “The Hug,” which takes place during the pandemic and deals with the underlying anxiety about encounters; and the title story, in which a woman remembers being in graduate school and waiting to find out if she won a prestigious fellowship.

This was one of the books I was eagerly anticipating this year, and it definitely exceeded my expectations. Sittenfeld is definitely an auto-buy author for me, and I’ll continue to get excited when I learn she has a new book out!

Book Review: "The Bookstore Keepers" by Alice Hoffman

“…aloneness breeds loneliness, and loneliness will come between you and your beloved before you know it and drive you apart.”

I have been loving this series of stories Alice Hoffman has written! The first two stories, The Bookstore Sisters and The Bookstore Wedding, were packed with so much emotion and beauty, and the newest one is just as exceptional.

Sisters Isabel and Sophie run a bookstore together in their hometown of Brinkley’s Island, Maine. Both have weathered major upheavals in their lives and were apart for a number of years, only to find their way back to one another. And while their lives are intertwined, they each have carved out their own space.

One morning, Isabel’s husband Johnny awakens from a dream, crying. What he saw in the dream, and how it manifests itself in real life, has a significant impact on both him and Isabel. Sometimes, when the one you love is struggling, the best thing you can do for them is be a safe harbor when they need you.

Meanwhile, Sophie’s daughter Violet returns to the island after college, and everyone expects that she will take over the bookstore at some point. Yet she has dreams of her own, but how do you know if it’s the right time to live for yourself?

Hoffman’s writing is so beautifully poetic and full of heart. I love the way she creates a fully realized world in a short number of pages, and I’ve been carrying these characters in my heart. I always say that the mark of a good book is one that makes you wish you knew the characters in real life. That’s definitely the case here.

Book Review: "Eleven Numbers" by Lee Child

When I picked up this story by Lee Child, the last thing I expected was math. At least I didn’t have to solve any equations!

Nathan is a mathematician and a university professor. He’s well known in his field, but mathematicians aren’t quite celebrity material. So needless to say he’s tremendously surprised when he gets a call from the White House, telling him that his help is needed.

“He was a very able mathematician. But there were fifty others in the world just as good. Maybe a hundred. His publication history was competitive. He had contributed to all the important journals. But so had fifty others. Maybe a hundred. His debut had been his PhD thesis. Groundbreaking, really, but in a field no one was interested in. Nothing about him stood out.”

He is flown to a meeting at the National Security Agency—a meeting attended by a famous mathematician and the President of the United States, as well as two intelligence officers. When Nathan is shown a series of 11 equations, he determines that they are part of a computer security algorithm. The correct numerical sequence is a powerful tool: it controls access to Russia’s nuclear arsenal.

The person who created the algorithm is a famed Russian mathematician. The President and his security team want Nathan to meet this man to try and get feel for which of the 11 equations will allow them the access they need. So they get Nathan an invitation to attend a mathematics conference in Russia, and he should be able to meet the man. But nothing goes quite like expected.⁣

This was very different than anything else of Lee Child’s that I’ve read. There were more twists than I was expecting, but it was a little dry. Or maybe it’s my phobia about math…

Book Review: "The Jolliest Bunch: Unhinged Holiday Stories" by Danny Pellegrino

“I was an emotional kid, who turned into an even more emotional adult—one who mourns the good times as much as he mourns the bad. Perfect days end with me wiping up the same tears that result from the crappy days.”

The holidays always seem to bring out healthy doses of both joy and craziness. I guess that’s why they’re such great fodder for writers. In The Jolliest Bunch, Danny Pellegrino, host of the podcast “Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino,” shares some of his holiday memories. They’ll either make you feel good about your own experiences or make you think he doesn’t know what crazy really is.

Having read his last book, How Do I Un-Remember This, I really enjoy Pellegrino’s voice. His stories never seem so wild as to be preposterous, but they’re always at least a notch or two beyond the usual holiday experience.

Some of my favorites include: “The Nativity,” which meshes your typical Christmas play story with an overly dramatic child with abandonment issues; “Black Velvet,” in which he gives Mrs. Claus her long-overdue adventure; “The Night Before,” about his mother’s annual meltdown before hosting a Christmas Eve party; and “The Ghostly Duo,” where he recounts his experience being haunted by a gay, pop culture-savvy ghost.

Not every story was a winner for me, but many of them touched my heart, reminded me of my own experiences, and/or made me laugh. No matter what Pellegrino talked about, it reminded me to always find the joy in being with those I care about, because you never know when circumstances will change.

While I mostly read fiction, this book was a fun departure for me. This reminds me a bit of a David Sedaris collection but it has a charm all its own.

Book Review: "When We Were Friends" by Jane Green

“To think I may have found a best friend after a five-minute chat, an unlikely meeting in the bathroom of a bar.”

It’s funny how some friendships feel just like dating at the start. You meet someone, you like them, you hope they like you back. Quite often there’s that delicate dance at first, you don’t want to seem too eager.

Lucy is newly divorced, trying to reinvent herself, when she goes to a bar one night with a group of women with whom she has very little in common. She immediately feels out of place and wonders how soon she can go home.

A quick trip to the restroom brings her face to face with Elle. She’s younger and more vibrant, but Lucy recognizes a kindred spirit. After some conversation, they realize they have more in common than Lucy would have imagined, and they make plans for later in the week.

It’s not long before the two become inseparable. For Lucy, Elle fills a void that had existed for some time. She makes Lucy feel like she can conquer anything, and they’re even planning to work together. But after Lucy brings Elle to a party, things veer off-course, and Elle disappears. Lucy mourns the loss of this friend, until she runs into her again and realizes that as close as they were, she doesn’t know Elle at all.

I enjoy Jane Green’s writing, but this felt very incomplete for me. Having Elle’s perspective—although her motivations were quite clear—would have made this more interesting. But it definitely reinforced my belief that you can never truly know someone.

Book Review: "Rejection" by Tony Tulathimutte

Rejection is a fascinating, thought-provoking, and truly visceral story collection. It’s definitely not a book that inspires positivity for the most part, but it’s so well-written, you might not care.

The seven interconnected stories in Tony Tulathimutte’s collection all focus on a central theme: rejection. The characters have to face fears of loneliness, issues with their self-esteem, and, quite often, anger toward those they perceive to be responsible for rejecting them, as well as society.

The opening story, “The Feminist,” follows a man who so heartily supports the empowerment of women and their control of relationships, but it’s mostly so women will have sex with him. And that doesn’t happen. For a long, long time. (Lots and lots of friend zones.)

In “Pics,” a woman hooks up with a close friend of hers, and quickly discovers she feels like it was much more significant an event than he did. Her growing obsessiveness doesn’t help, and her continued spiraling makes her feel worse, which she takes out on everyone.

And in “Ahegao; or, The Ballad of Sexual Repression,” a young man comes out of the closet but can’t seem to find someone who wants a relationship. He soon discovers his fascination with a troubling sub-genre of porn.

These stories are very modern, with conversations conducted through various forms of social media at times, and they’re very much in step with the different sociological movements in our society. They’re dark and satirical, yet at times they pack a powerful punch.

My biggest struggle with the book is that none of the characters are particularly likable. It’s hard at times to read stories in which characters are complaining and ranting a lot. But Tulathimutte’s storytelling talent elevates the book.

Book Review: "Tell Me Everything" by Elizabeth Strout

What does anyone’s life mean?

Elizabeth Strout’s latest book is another masterpiece of storytelling, and it’s tremendously thought-provoking at the same time. We return to Crosby, Maine, and some of her favorite characters from other novels: Bob Burgess, Lucy Barton, and the irascible Olive Kitteridge.

“People did not care, except for maybe one minute. It was not their fault, most just could not really care past their own experiences.”

Lucy and Bob have become close friends; they go on long walks almost every day, and talk about everything from the superficial to the super-serious. Their feelings for each other intensify the more time they spend together, and each acts as a sounding board, a shoulder to lean on. But Bob is married and Lucy lives with her ex-husband, William. Are either of them the type to blow everything up?

Meanwhile, when a crime occurs in town, Bob swiftly moves to help the accused. The case is far more complicated than meets the eye, full of emotional issues and past trauma. But Bob believes it’s his responsibility to protect his client, which impacts him profoundly.

Olive, now 91, has stories to tell, so she tells them to Lucy. And after a while Lucy shares her own stories with Olive. A friendship blossoms, built around shared untold stories ripe with lessons to be learned.

These characters are flawed, big-hearted, and so memorable. Strout can make you love the prickliest people and be fully invested in their stories. I’ve been a fan of most of her books which explore Amgash and Crosby, and hope we’ll get another chance to visit!

Book Review: "Poor Deer" by Claire Oshetsky

There are times when I feel like many books out there are just slight variations on a theme. And then I stumble upon a book like Poor Deer, which is creative and unusual, and my faith in original ideas is restored.

“Margaret’s mother thinks the girl is looking at the pictures, but what Margaret likes even better than the pictures are the happy endings. After the day of the schoolyard flood, Margaret begins to write happy endings of her own. Her made-up endings help her forget that singular moment in her life when everything went so wrong.”

Margaret is four years old when a tragedy occurs to her best friend, Agnes. While no one explicitly blames Margaret for what happened that day, she is wracked with guilt. Her mother insists to everyone that Margaret never left the house that day, but Margaret knows the truth.

In an effort to try and cope with what has happened, Margaret starts writing her own stories, sometimes using a made-up language. Margaret’s stories always end happily. But somewhere along the line, Poor Deer, a menacing character, starts appearing in her stories, pressuring Margaret to confess the truth about what happened to Agnes.

This book definitely has a fairy tale quality, almost ethereal at times. The lines blur between what is real and what Margaret imagines, but Poor Deer becomes a constant presence.

I know this is definitely not a book for everyone, but it’s a powerful look at what children understand, and how they process grief and loss. This will be a book I think about for a long time.

Book Review: "Fourteen Days" by The Authors Guild

Shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the residents of a rundown apartment building on NYC’s Lower East Side begin gathering on the rooftop terrace for fresh air. They participate in the cheering for the health care workers, which occurs each evening at 7:00 pm.

Little by little, they start to linger on the roof after the cheering subsides. At first they keep to themselves, reading, playing with their phones, pondering the pandemic, but then they start to tell each other stories—stories that happened to them, stories passed down from their families, even fables or ghost stories. All can’t be true, but the shared time proves therapeutic.

The narrator is the building’s female superintendent, a virtual stranger to the tenants, as she took the job and moved in just before the lockdown began. Armed with her predecessor’s “bible,” a binder profiling each tenant and the nickname he bestowed upon them, she takes it upon herself to record and transcribe the stories they are told. And she has stories of her own as well.

As soon as I heard about this book, I wanted to read it. Each chapter contains multiple stories, and each story is written by another author, everyone from Margaret Atwood, John Grisham, Angie Cruz, to Diana Gabaldon, Erica Jong, and Tess Gerritsen. (Interestingly enough, the stories don't identify the authors; you won't know who wrote which chapter until the end. Unless you cheat.)

Sadly, the concept didn’t work as well as I had hoped—essentially, it’s a group of short stories, some of which are excellent, some of which are not, and some of which have too much detail to actually be a story someone would tell. (And don’t get me started on the ending.)

Book Review: "Terrace Story" by Hilary Leichter

Have you ever read a book that you definitely enjoyed despite the fact that you weren't really sure what it was about? That was definitely the case for me with Terrace Story, Hilary Leichter's new book. It was beautiful, emotional, thought-provoking, somewhat confusing at times, and a little bit trippy.

In "Terrace," the first of four connected stories, Annie, Edward, and their infant daughter, Rose, have to downsize into a much smaller, cramped apartment. They are definitely saddened by this move, because instead of the view of the outdoors that they had in their old apartment, their view is now an air shaft. But one day, when entertaining Annie's coworker Stephanie, they find a beautiful terrace inside a closet. Suddenly their view has changed, and they are absolutely thrilled.

They quickly discover that the terrace only seems to appear when Stephanie visits them. They are torn between wanting to keep inviting her over and feeling bad that they're using her to keep having access to the terrace. But everything good comes with a cost, and one night everything changes for the small family, with repercussions for the future.

Some of the stories follow related characters—"Folly" focuses on a married couple, and the woman is a descendant of Rose; while "Cantilever" takes place in the distant future, with a young woman working at a space station, when she is visited by an older woman who says she wanted to meet her. "Fortress" is about Stephanie, and tracks her from childhood to a point in the future.

I found "Folly" the oddest story, and I wasn't exactly sure what Leichter was trying to say with that one. The other stories made more sense (although "Fortress" was definitely a bit confusing) and they definitely provoked emotional reactions.

Leichter is a tremendously talented writer. I'd love to do some research into what inspired her to write this book, because that knowledge might inspire me to re-read this at some point. This is definitely not a book for everyone, but I'd imagine fans of literary or experimental fiction may enjoy it.

Book Review: "Games and Rituals" by Katherine Heiny

Games and Rituals is an exceptional story collection from a writer at the top of her game.

I’ve been a big fan of Katherine Heiny’s books for a while now. Her two previous novels, Standard Deviation and Early Morning Riser were among my favorite books the years I read them. I love the way she balances sly humor, poignant emotion, and wry observation of both life’s mundane moments and when things go off the rails.

The 11 stories in Heiny’s upcoming collection were nearly all fantastic, following men and women at a crossroads of some sort. There’s the driving instructor in “Chicken-Flavored and Lemon-Scented” to the woman packing up her husband’s first wife’s house in “561,” from the woman dealing with her elderly father in “Twist and Shout” to the woman who finds out her life isn’t quite what she thinks it is in “Turn Back, Turn Back,” and many others.

If you’re a fan of short stories I’d encourage you to pick this up when it publishes on 4/14. Thanks to NetGalley and A.A. Knopf for the advance copy!

Book Review: "Nobody Gets Out Alive" by Leigh Newman

Leigh Newman's debut collection, Nobody Gets Out Alive, is a collection of stories featuring women at their toughest, dealing with the wilds of life.

I always love discovering books thanks to Bookstagram friends. This story collection, longlisted for the National Book Award, was recommended by two friends whose reading taste is so admirable, so I figured, how could I lose?

The collection takes place in Alaska, one of my favorite settings for books, and the stories follow women dealing not only with the wildlife and the sometimes-unforgiving climate, but also with the challenges and pain associated with love, loss, and relationships. Some stories are set in the present, some in the not-too-distant past, and one is even set in the early 1900s.

Newman’s characters are tough, independent, smart, and sensitive, which makes reading about them really appealing. A few of the stories feature the same characters at different points of their lives.

As with any story collection, I loved some more than others. My favorites included “Howl Palace,” about an older woman dealing with financial challenges and the mortality of those she loves; the title story, about an engaged couple dealing with the advances of others; and “Alcan: An Oral History,” which follows five different women outrunning their problems.

Let’s hear it for book recs from friends!!

Book Review: "Serendipity" edited by Marissa Meyer

If you’re looking for a gift for the YA romance lover in your life, you’ve found it: Serendipity, edited by Marissa Meyer!

Romance and rom-com lovers, we all talk about our favorite and least favorite tropes. (Mine are fake dating, enemies to lovers, and friends to lovers, BTW.) In this new story collection, 10 YA authors each write a story using a particular trope—the fake relationship, stranded together, class warfare, the best friend love epiphany, one bed, the secret admirer, the grand romantic gesture, trapped in a confined space, the makeover, and the matchmaker.

The subtitle of the book is “Ten Romantic Tropes, Transformed,” and while not all of the stories are as straightforward as you’d expect, I don’t know that there’s a lot of transformation. But it’s still a sweet bunch of stories!

Like any short story collection, I loved some stories, while some didn’t quite click for me. The stories are mostly M/F, with a few F/F stories and one M/M story. My favorites were: “Bye Bye, Piper Berry” by Julie Murphy (fake dating); Caleb Roehrig’s “Auld Acquaintance” (best friend love epiphany); “Shooting Stars” by Marissa Meyer (one bed); “Liberty” by Anna-Marie McLemore (the makeover); and Sandhya Menon’s “The Surprise Match” (the matchmaker). Sarah Winifred Searle’s “Keagan’s Heaven on Earth” is written as a graphic novel.

If you’re a fan of YA romance, Serendipity could be a nice palate cleanser between other heavier books. I enjoyed it!

Book Review: "Seasonal Work" by Laura Lippman

Seasonal Work is a collection of intriguing, thought-provoking short stories, some with a tinge of mystery. But they're not about seasonal work, lol.

Do you enjoy when authors you like take a bit of a departure from their usual stuff? I’ve read a lot of Laura Lippman’s mysteries, but in this, her latest book, she focuses more on fiction than on crime, although one of her most well-known protagonists, Tess Monaghan, makes an appearance in two stories.

The collection includes 12 stories. Some blew me away, some were really good, and a few didn’t quite click for me. There’s some element of deviousness or deception in each of the stories, which brings some added depth. Among my favorites in the collection: “Just One More,” in which a couple quarantining during COVID decide to join a dating app to see how compatible they really are; “Slow Burner,” about a woman who finds her husband’s burner phone; “Five Fires,” in which a spate of fires rock a small town; “Cougar,” about a woman whose no-good son moves back in and brings his girlfriend; and “Seasonal Work,” the title story, in which a scheming single father might have met his match.

As I’ve discussed a few times recently, I’m a fan of short stories but at times they leave me wanting more. And while that was the case with some stories, I love the way Lippman writes and some of the stories in this collection just hit that sweet spot for me.

Book Review: "Fiona and Jane" by Jean Chen Ho

This debut collection by Jean Chen Ho contains interconnected stories about friendship, love, family, relationships, and being caught between two cultures.

Fiona and Jane met in second grade, two Taiwanese girls living in California. Both were raised by their mothers—Fiona never knew her father, while Jane’s father went back to Taiwan for a teaching job. While they want nothing more than to be “normal” Americans, at times their mothers’ expectations are a little too much to bear.

These interconnected stories follow Fiona and Jane through their teenage years, years of some rebellion, sexual awakening, and intermittent tensions in their friendship, into adulthood, tracing their various relationships, careers, and connections with their mothers and each other. Each story is narrated through one of their perspectives.

The stories flip through time so it always took me a minute or two to orient me. (I’d say, “wait, didn’t she already move to New York?”) Some are more compelling stories than others—for the most part I found Jane a more interesting and dynamic person than Fiona.

What I found most fascinating is that while Fiona and Jane is promoted as stories about a friendship, other than a few stories, there’s barely any interaction between Fiona and Jane. Perhaps someone will ask about the other in passing, or one (Jane, probably) will reflect on not having spoken to the other in some time. I get that friendships drift apart but this felt a little odd to me.

All things considered, this was an interesting and well-written collection of stories which made me ponder my own friendships.

Book Review: "Model Home" by J. Courtney Sullivan

In J. Courtney Sullivan's short story Model Home, all is not rosy behind the scenes of a popular home remodeling program.

“Lately I think of my husband as a disappointment turducken: a lack of ambition wrapped in a beer gut wrapped in a statement tee designed for a much fitter man.”

Katie and her husband Damian are the hosts of “Down Home,” the nation's second-most popular home-makeover show. They seem to have at all: a loving marriage, sweet tween daughters who have grown up in the public eye, and the talent to change people’s lives through their creative eyes.

In truth? Their marriage is failing, their daughters hate Katie and refuse to appear on the show, and at the end of the season, when their contract is up, Damian wants out. Katie can’t imagine what her life will be like if the show ends, and what it will mean for her marriage and her life.

While none of the characters are very sympathetic, this was a compelling and quick read, where nothing is quite like it seems!

Book Review: "Objects of Desire: Stories" by Clare Sestanovich

Clare Sestanovich's debut collection, Objects of Desire, features 11 short stories about the fragile connections we have with others.

Relationships—romantic, familial, friendly. If they didn’t exist and didn’t malfunction every now and again, would books and movies even exist?

Relationships are at the core of this story collection. A young woman meets a couple on an airplane and they stay in her mind long after. As a woman prepares for her son to get married, her own life and marriage go off track.

Sadly, this collection really didn’t work for me. I kept waiting to connect with a story and they all just fell really flat for me. I love short stories and while I don't love all collections, I usually can find at least a few that resonate. I’ve seen a few tremendously positive reviews of this, so maybe it’s me and not the book.

Oh, well. Onto the next!

Book Review: "Olive Kitteridge" by Elizabeth Strout

Time for an unpopular opinion.

Olive Kitteridge just didn’t work for me. Yes, I know it won the Pulitzer, but interestingly enough, in looking at the list of Pulitzer winners over the last 20-25 years, a number of those books didn’t quite wow me either.

Like a number of Strout’s books, Olive Kitteridge is a series of interconnected stories taking place in the small town of Crosby, Maine. Olive is a main character in some, a supporting character some, and just passes through others. On the surface, Olive appears to be your garden-variety curmudgeon, the type who makes up phrases like "sicky-wicky" and exasperates her husband and son. But the more you get to see, you realize she’s far more complex—emotional, she has difficulty expressing what she thinks, and she’s uncomfortable with certain social interactions.

I’ve read a few of Strout’s other books so I do like the way she writes, but this one just didn’t quite draw me in. One reason for that is I couldn’t get the image of Frances McDormand, who played Olive in the television adaptation, out of my mind. I love her as an actress but I found her image in my head while reading a little jarring.

Still, I know how many people love Olive and her stories, so don’t let my negativity deter you.