“Lucy by the Sea” by Elizabeth Strout
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| Photo: elizabethstrout.com |
Lucy lives alone in New York City. She is a novelist, a single woman with two grown daughters, and the main character of the novel “Lucy by the Sea” by Elizabeth Strout. Lucy loves her girls dearly, and she doesn’t want them going through what she had to endure during her childhood: grinding poverty and an apathetic mother. Adulthood hasn’t been easier her ex-husband, William, had cheated on her and ultimately left her for the woman he cheated on her with.
Spring is coming to New York, but so is a virus that is afflicting otherwise healthy people and killing many. William, a parasitologist, is familiar with the virus in ways laypeople cannot comprehend. He convinces his daughters to leave the city. As far as Lucy goes, William has plans for her to join him in a rented house in the town of Shirley, Maine.
Lucy is apprehensive about leaving, especially with a book tour coming up. William tells her to cancel the tour. She does, much to the chagrin of her publicist. Two days later she and William are on their way to Shirley for what they hope will be a couple of weeks of waiting for the virus to go away and life to return to normal.
But is that what she really wants? Normal life for Lucy has meant grinding poverty it has meant a mother who neither wanted nor lived her. Lucy's mother has been so cruel, she has made up another mother, one who is kind and nurturing. In her head, Lucy speaks to her and seeks her advice when life becomes too difficult.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Lucy meets Bob Burgess, the owner of the rented house. Bob can be seen outside at multiple times sneaking cigarettes behind his wife’s back. Over time, Lucy and Bob develop a friendship, and time spent for a smoke grows into a friendship and mutual, genuine concern.
Also developing is a renewed relationship between Lucy and William. Could it be from isolation? Could it be a shared concern for their daughters, especially Chrissy, who is contemplating having an affair? Her marriage is in trouble and she’s not happy, but Lucy wants her to know there are other ways of dealing with it.
“We are born with a certain nature, I think. And then the world takes its swings at us”
- Lucy by the Sea
Strout’s book takes the reader from New York City to central Maine and numerous places in between. Her writing lets you into Lucy’s emotions and fears. The reader will also meet and experience other characters through Lucy’s eyes. Her children are not perfect. She knows that, but, even as adults, she still tries to guide them in the right direction, as all parents do no matter how old their children are. As you read about Lucy’s time away from the city and learning to cope with the current situation and William, you’ll appreciate what it can mean to adapt to new situations.
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