Lucy By The Sea by Elizabeth Strout

This is yet another quiet, introspective book of the world seen through the eyes of Lucy Barton. It follow upon the heels of Oh William! but they could be read out of order and each of the books stand alone, but they are greater than the sum of their parts, because they are a reflection on the world as seen through the eyes of a quiet, thoughtful woman who has her toe in a lot of ponds. There is a lot to think about in this, not the least of it why on earth Lucy follows William, but then, she married him once, they share children, and the love of her life has died and left her grieving and mostly alone. She is the sharer of the secret of William's mother's life before him and the half sister he didn't know he had, didn't know his mother had in her. The book is a land mine of secrets, some of which are fleshed out and some are left for the reader to think through. Then there is the pandemic, which is what drives the narrative here, a reflection on how the world changed, how we learned a lot about our neighbors based on who thought only of themselves and those who thought of others. It is about how it can blow things up and how it can make strange bedfellows. This is wonderful and understated, and well worth thinking about after you close the book.