Mothers and daughters. Strout's novel is set during a short period of time in the past when the eponymous character was hospitalized after complications from an appendectomy. Her estranged, extremely provincial mother sits at her bedside for 5 days and her presence allows Lucy to reflect on and reconcile her dysfunctional childhood growing up dirt poor in rural Illinois. Because most of what I know abt Strout is that her most famous work was adapted into an HBO miniseries, I didn't expect My Name is Lucy Barton to be as literary as it is. But the slim novel is an exquisite example of evoking presence through absence; what is not said between Lucy and her mother contains more meaning than what is. This seemingly unassuming character study is a powerful depiction of how we can withhold, crave, and choose to give love that's thought to be unconditional. I loved it. 5 stars. And that's 100! #bookworm #december2016reads #latergram #goodreadschallenge2016 #doneanddone #imstillreadingthough #becauseobviously
