Blog written by Melissa
Olive Kitteridge is a Pulitzer winning “novel in stories”, set in a town on the coast of Maine, USA. The interlinked short stories form a cohesive whole with a through line focus on the ‘unapologetic’ and ‘controlling’ protagonist called Olive, and her relationships with family and community.
What’s particularly interesting about this middleclass maths teaching character, is that, in the words of the New York Times review by Louisa Thomas, “She isn’t a nice person”. Much of our book club discussion focused on our varying degrees of sympathy or distaste for this character. All felt she was a woman who was ‘stuck’. Some felt she should work to become ‘unstuck’ and therefore a happier and more loving person. Others perceived a sadness that this seemed impossible for her.
Discussion ensued about people we may have experienced in our lives who showed a similar inability to express love, especially within their family context and the impact of this on their own wellbeing and those around them.
I think all agreed the book is written in a beautiful, sensitive, detailed and highly naturalistic style, with a sophisticated, original and pleasing structure. One or two members were unhappy with the last story. Some members found the content and atmosphere of the book ‘too bleak’, due to a focus on tragic and emotionally painful situations and the requirement to journey within Olive’s uncomfortable interior landscape. Others found the focus empathic, realistic, intriguing and moving. Some found aspects comical and endearing. Most enjoyed reading the book.
An interesting literary technique is used in this book and illustrated well in the NYT review:
“Just as Olive’s self-awareness and empathy develop over the course of the book, so does the reader’s. Strout’s prose is quickened by her use of the “free indirect” style, in which a third-person narrator adopts the words or tone a particular character might use. “The tulips bloomed in ridiculous splendor” is a narrative statement — but “ridiculous” is very much Olive Kitteridge’s word. Similarly, in a description of a pianist, the clucking of communal disapproval creeps in: “Her face revealed itself too clearly in a kind of simple expectancy no longer appropriate for a woman of her age.” These moments animate Strout’s prose in the same way that a forceful person alters the atmosphere in a room.”
One member shared her enjoyment of the adapted tele-series, saying the casting of Frances McDormand in the lead was inspired and that all the characters perfectly reflected the provincial location. She discussed how they interpreted Olive’s husband in the film version as being somewhat questionable in relation to his pharmaceutical assistant. Readers disagreed with this choice, perceiving Henry to be an endearing man, yearning for love, warmth, someone to care for - but in a non-lecherous manner. One member imagined Kathy Bates in the lead role of Olive which others agreed would also have suited well.
The main focus of discussion was on Olive’s complex character and the degree to which she was able to see herself as well as her capacity, or challenge to change. As the NYT review states, ‘The pleasure in reading “Olive Kitteridge” comes from an intense identification with complicated, not always admirable, characters… There’s simply the honest recognition that we need to try to understand people, even if we can’t stand them.”
Some themes that were discussed included:
• Those who have an inability to express and receive love, particularly with their intimate family.
• People’s capacity to change
• Hope versus hopelessness
• Narcissism and it’s impact on self and others. People’s capacity to ‘see’ themselves.
• Betrayal, grief and emotional hunger.
• What could make a person stuck in the first place and what might render them unable, or able to change.
• People’s capacity for kindness, empathy, understanding and the need for these.
We rated this book 8 out of 10 for those who wished to give it a rating
It was described as "brilliantly written"
Our last meeting of the year will be on Thursday Dec 10th at Marty's and we will be discussing The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
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