I’m not one for short story collections but I am a fan of characters drawn with a lot of empathy, which seems to be the mantra of this series, so far. It also did augment my experience reading the first book. Technically, you don’t need to have read it but there are a few stories where it builds nicely on the knowledge you’d have from the first, to an emotional degree. Almost all the stories naturally orbit the Lucy Barton story of characters. Sometimes expanding on them or circling around. It’s good storytelling.

There are a few moments that feel a little bit over-the-top. A bit too sweet. Especially after the first one, which was funny at times but was pretty consistently sobering. Where some of these shine is often in the portrayal of old(er) age characters, who contrast current events with early memory in compelling ways. Whether the recontextualized school yard taunt to an earnest statement or the movements or current events: Bootstrap economics, autonomy of women, mental health, very forms of abuse. There is an underscore of bringing these things into context of contemporary times with characters who don’t feel all that content part, mostly due to their location and circumstance.

It’s more effective than most collections, but how someone might feel skipping the first book, I really don’t know.