My Name is Lucy Barton, This Must be the Place and An Unsuitable Job for a Woman

There are two stories I have read together about childhood hardship, one a short story by Alice Munro (I am dipping into her "Runaway" one story at a time) and the other this short novel by Elizabeth Strout. I will never forget the garage and the truck. So although we, as a family, had little money when I was young, there is always someone less well off. But that hardly matters at the time.

However, this book is not depressing, in fact it highlights that family alienation is not all there is for a fulfilling life. Our narrator, an older Lucy, is looking back to the time she spent in hospital when her mother, whom she had not seen for years sits by her bed for days. They reminisce about the old days and make a connection that Lucy treasures, even if it only has to be this one time.

I found the writing to be of the highest order: “Loneliness was the first flavour I had tasted in my life, and it was always there, hidden in the crevices of my mouth, reminding me". We have all been there. This is a powerful and emotional story that can be read over and over. I thought it was superb.

This is just a brilliant book, the best I have read for a long time. Up there with Maggie O'Farrells' "After You'd Gone" and her Costa winning novel "The Hand That First Held Mine". I loved the conversational tone ("Fill in for yourselves the usual reasons people go on vacation"). I loved the alternating first person, third person and even a section with the second person. I loved the switching backwards and forwards in time for each chapter, each sometimes presented difficulty to know where we are but not for long, they soon make perfect sense. Each based on a different character but always with wonderful cross references to another time. I loved the multiple narrators, I loved the chapter headings. I loved the auction catalogue. Each chapter is almost like a short interconnecting individual story, every one a little gem.

The characters, of course, are great. The reclusive Claudette Wells is hiding out in a remote area of Ireland. Daniel Sullivan is even more complex. Our initial sympathy for his divorce and alienation from his children soon disappears with his relationship with Nicola Janks, something that will haunt him the rest of his life. The writing, of course, is superb. "Mrs Spillane put her face close to mine. She was frowning, examining me, as if she had considered buying me but was coming to the conclusion that I had too many defects". I have made a note to read this again in a couple of years time.

My first ever P D James crime novel. It seemed a lot lighter than many modern thrillers, even the danger and murders are never gruesome. I was surprised how good the author is as a writer, there is well written drama and a decent plot. The succession of interviews once our young heroine embarks on her investigations are formulaic as any of the genre. But it was enjoyable while it lasted.