I finished this last week, but I was so moved by it I couldn’t write about it straight away.
I found this novel, from an emotional perspective, very hard to read, but very compelling. Elizabeth Strout cuts to the heart of our deepest regrets and sadnesses. Her portrayal of a mother/daughter relationship was, for me personally, very close to the bone. Her use of language to convey such depth of feeling is beautiful.
“Do I understand that hurt my children feel? I think I do, though they might claim otherwise. But I think I know so well the pain we children clutch to our chests, how it lasts our whole lifetime, with longings so large you can’t even weep. We hold it tight, we do, with each seizure of the beating heart: This is mine, this is mine, this is mine."
This is a novel that deserves to be shared, read, re-read and passed on. It is a gem.