Things begin to fall apart for Tyler when his wife dies, leaving him as a single parent to two young girls. Jeannie, the baby, lives with his overbearing mother, but he keeps the eldest, Catherine, at home with him. A year after her mother's death, Catherine, now five, is deeply troubled, with her trauma manifesting as situational mutism and strange behaviours at school. His housekeeper Connie wants to care for the girl, but has her own worries to deal with.
Soon the town begins gossiping, spreading rumours about Tyler and his daughter. He is frustrated at the petty politics he needs to deal with, a paltry budget, a campaign for a new organ, pressure to find a new wife. But what he really needs to do is grieve.
Strout has deep empathy for her characters and has crafted such a loving portrayal of Tyler and the people in his orbit. She writes plainly, which belies the complexity of the tale. While there is sadness and loss, this is a heartwarming, hopeful story of faith and redemption. Her depiction of the small-town community is spot on, and as this novel is set in the 1950s, Strout includes Khrushchev and a fear of Communism and nuclear war in the background.
Strout has deep empathy for her characters and has crafted such a loving portrayal of Tyler and the people in his orbit. She writes plainly, which belies the complexity of the tale. While there is sadness and loss, this is a heartwarming, hopeful story of faith and redemption. Her depiction of the small-town community is spot on, and as this novel is set in the 1950s, Strout includes Khrushchev and a fear of Communism and nuclear war in the background.
I am a latecomer to the Strout universe, beginning my exploration of her works in early 2025. But I am definitely a convert, committed to reading all her works.
My reviews of other novels by Elizabeth Strout are available on this blog: