I had an inkling that I’d like this book even before I plunged into it. My Name is Lucy Barton may appear like a normal story about an ordinary woman but it is truly much more than that. We see a woman resting in a hospital bed for weeks, graced by her mother’s presence which is a rarity in itself, reminiscing about her past. Laying there, Lucy turns into a child herself, desperately trying to seek her mother’s affection all the while missing her own two little girls back home. The beauty of this book is how Lucy can just about be anyone amongst us.

Lucy grew up without any affection and money. Living out of a garage with her family, she eventually was the only one who made it in the real world. As she slipped away from her family, she knew that she’d be seeing less of them. So when she gets admitted in a hospital, she is pleasantly surprised to see her mother sitting on a chair next to her bed. Years have gone by without them meeting each other and Lucy finds herself reaching out to bridge the gap.

This is partly a story of a woman who wants to be loved and a woman who doesn’t know how to give it.

As the two women speak about people from the past, Lucy starts to think of how her own life has changed over the years. She is now a writer, a wife and a mother. And she loves people without any inhibitions. She loves her neighbor Jeremy who is a gentleman and her friend Molla. She loves her doctor who comes even on the weekends to check on her and people she met randomly at any given day. She has much love to give but not enough words to tell how much she needs her mother in her life.

Because Lucy is a writer, you see finesse in her writing. There’s longing, recollection and reflection. Although this book may seem ordinary in many ways, it’s actually the opposite. There’s a complex web of emotions that are splattered across the pages. Elizabeth Strout is undoubtedly an exceptional writer, one that I’d want to revisit time and again. I cannot wait to read all the books in the Barton series.

I’m glad I read this before the year ended. Definitely recommend it :)