Every year when Sybil Steinberg, contributing editor for Publisher’s Weekly, comes to the library to give us her list of current favorites, I can’t wait to rush back to my desk and put a hold on some of the selections she shares with us. Last month two of her recommendations, I See You Everywhere and Olive Kitteridge, came in just in time for me to read them on my vacation. I think both of these books would be great selections for book clubs.
Julia Glass, whose first book was National Book Award winner Three Junes, actually came to the library in early January, to speak about I See You Everywhere. After hearing her speak about her book and her life as a writer, I knew I wanted to read this book. Books about sister relationships have always intrigued me, maybe because I have three sisters myself. Ms. Glass has told the story of Louisa and Clem Jardine by having each sister alternately narrate a chapter over the course of 20 years. At times this novel almost feels like a series of short stories, as Clem and Louisa’s very different personalities and lives evolve. Although I can’t say I identified with either sister, I did feel that sibling bond that sisters often feel, that love-hate relationship that often exists, but also binds you together. I consider myself pretty lucky to have three sisters with whom to share that bond.
Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout, is set in Maine where Ms. Strout grew up. It is a novel told in a series of short stories, all connected by the character Olive Kitteridge. Although Olive can be a bit difficult at times, by the end of the book you will feel empathy for her. The stories follow Olive from middle-age to widowhood at age 74. Her life goes through changes and ups and downs just as the world around her is changing. Ms. Strout has written a book full of complex characters and thought provoking stories. The ordinary events of our lives- love, death, loneliness, joy are all there and captured beautifully in this little gem of a book.
Book clubs will find much to discuss in these novels. The characters in these stories seem so real and identifiable that you are immediately drawn into their lives and imagine what you would do in their situations. Whether it is family relationships or the interactions we share with the people from our own circle of friends, both of these authors have succeeded in portraying the complexity of human relationships. Let me know if your group would like to order some copies or a discussion guide.
