Jan says, I’m fascinated with the many ways that the pandemic has impacted writers, and how they have dealt with Covid in their books. Strout has achieved a wonderful story that captures so many of the feelings generated.
Sally’s thoughts: Lucy, William, and their family find their way through the fog of 2020. I could so relate to the emotions Lucy and those around her felt during that strange time.
As a panicked world goes into lockdown, Lucy Barton is uprooted from her life in Manhattan and bundled away to a small town in Maine by her ex-husband and on-again, off-again friend, William. For the next several months, it’s just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the moody, swirling sea.
Rich with empathy and emotion, Lucy by the Sea vividly captures the fear and struggles that come with isolation, as well as the hope, peace, and possibilities that those long, quiet days can inspire. At the heart of this story are the deep human connections that unite us even when we’re apart–the pain of a beloved daughter’s suffering, the emptiness that comes from the death of a loved one, the promise of a new friendship, and the comfort of an old, enduring love.
