Olive Kitteridge: Fiction
Why I recommend it
Strout pays close attention to ordinary lives. Olive can be difficult, lonely, perceptive, and unkind, sometimes all at once.
What stayed with me
Being curious about a person doesn’t require liking everything they do. These stories make room for the grief behind abrasive behavior.
Who it’s useful for
Readers who enjoy connected stories, small communities, and complicated characters.
A tension or limitation
The stories don’t always resolve neatly. Readers looking for a conventional plot may find them spare.