So, this book, some of the ten that came before it, is also a collection of short stories that are all connected, in this case by the life of a grumpy schoolteacher, wife, and mother named Olive Kitteridge.
Olive sucks. She's judgmental and coarse. The only people she ever loves or even really likes are her husband and son, and she does a horrible job of showing that love to them.
But she's also impossibly strong, going through some pretty horrible things in her life but still persevering (sometimes against her own wishes). That paragraph is extremely vague to anyone who hasn't read the book, but I don't want to give it away.
One theme of the book is the connections Olive has forged with practically every member of her small New England community. But, it thankfully never gets into cheesy, It's a Wonderful Life-style schmaltz. Would everyone be better off without Olive? The question's never uttered aloud, but I can't help but wonder.
You really should go read this book. It doesn't take that long (says the girl who started it a month ago...), but it's splendidly written.
Next up: Still undecided on this one...
