My Name is Lucy Barton

by Elizabeth Strout

Reviewed by Suzann Kale

Written in the first person in the form of a memoir, the novel is delicate and deep. The writing style is direct and focused, and most of the time I forgot that this wasn't someone's actual private journal. As Lucy Barton tells her life's story, it's a time in her life when perhaps she is older, more settled and safe, and a successful writer. But most of her focus is on a particular time when she was a young mother and had to spend many weeks in the hospital. Her hospital room looked out over Manhattan and every night she looked at the lights from the Chrysler Building. Her estranged mother came to stay with her during this time, and she and her mother were able to rebuild their relationship.

The novel is about love, really. She details her life as she describes the different people she loved over the years.