The final scene between William and Lucy has been carouselling in my mind for days now. Strout is not only mercilessly funny on the page, she's also unerringly precise about the long-term effects of loneliness, parental neglect and betrayal. Strout works in the realm of everyday speech, conjuring repetitions, gaps and awkwardness with plain language and forthright diction, yet at the same time unleashing a tidal urgency that seems to come out of nowhere even as it operates in plain sight - Jennifer Egan * New York Times * One proof of Elizabeth Strout's greatness is t he sleight of hand with which she injects sneaky subterranean power into seemingly transparent prose. 'An absolute delight of a book' Claire Fuller 'One of America's finest writers' Sunday Times I do not know any other writer who can portray life in this way' Rachel Joyce 'She gets better with each book' Maggie O'Farrell 'A superbly gifted storyteller and a craftswoman in a league of her own' Hilary Mantel The depth, complexity, and love contained in these pages is a miraculous achievement' Ann Patchett 'Elizabeth Strout is one of my very favourite writers, so the fact that Oh William! may well be my favorite of her books is a mathematical equation for joy. 'The many things we do not know until it is too late.'
At the heart of this story is the unforgettable, indomitable voice of Lucy Barton, who once again offers a profound, lasting reflection on the mystery of existence. Oh William! captures the joy and sorrow of watching children grow up and start families of their own of discovering family secrets, late in life, that alter everything we think we know about those closest to us and the way people live and love, against all odds. Recalling their college years, the birth of their daughters, the painful dissolution of their marriage, and the lives they built with other people, Strout weaves a portrait, stunning in its subtlety, of a tender, complex, decades-long partnership. A surprise encounter leads her to reconnect with William, her first husband - and longtime, on-again-off-again friend and confidante. Lucy Barton is a successful writer living in New York, navigating the second half of her life as a recent widow and parent to two adult daughters. The Pulitzer Prize-winning, Booker-longlisted, bestselling author returns to her beloved heroine Lucy Barton in a luminous novel about love, loss, and the family secrets that can erupt and bewilder us at any point in life
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