“In its emotional heft and honesty, its ability to go fearlessly to the darkest places, its pellucid empathy and its spot-on rendering of the pandemic experience for both individuals and the country, [Lucy by the Sea] is perhaps the best of the four marvelous novels Strout has written featuring Lucy Barton.”
Pricilla Gilman, “Getting to the heart of the matter: Elizabeth Strout returns with the pandemic novel we need now,” Boston Globe, September 15, 2022.
“No-one writes interior life as Strout does. This is meticulous observed writing, full of probing psychological insight. Lucy Barton is one of literature’s immortal characters – brittle, damaged, unravelling, vulnerable and most of all, ordinary, like us all.”
Profile and collection of features including written interviews, an article on the Lucy Barton series, a Reading Guide (for bookclubs and individual readers), a video Q&A with readers, and two short videos featuring Anna Friel reading extracts from Oh William!
“Elizabeth Strout,” Authors, the Booker Prize Library, The Booker Prizes website, September 6, 2022.
“With Oh William! shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2022, we spoke to Elizabeth Strout about her intimate characterisation, the importance of listening and what’s next for Lucy Barton.”
“‘Elizabeth Strout interview: 'I could feel myself getting better with each story',” Features, The Booker Library, The Booker Prizes website, September 6, 2022.
I’m delighted that Oh William! made the shortlist for this year’s Booker Prize. It's an honor to be part of this community of readers and writers.
Erik Tanner for The New York Times
“‘I’ve taught myself how to get these sentences down, how to know when they’re worth getting down,’ said Strout, 66. ‘It’s like I’ve been training for a marathon my entire life and now there’s an acceleration happening.’”
Elisabeth Egan, “At 66, Elizabeth Strout Has Reached Maximum Productivity,” New York Times, Sept. 3, 2022.Sign up for Elizabeth’s newsletter, with exclusive content from Elizabeth to her readers.