Olive Kitteridge

    
     To be honest, I did not like this book at first. In fact, I stopped reading after a few chapters because I just didn't like it, and I happen to be a firm believer that life is too short to keep reading a book you do not like (obviously school and work materials are exceptions). To be fair, I did not like the book because some of the character flaws I found in Olive I recognized in myself and that is never fun for anyone. Needless to say, I was completely fine with my decision to move on to greener pastures when a friend at work mentioned that this was one of her all time favorite books. You know those people in your life that no matter what the subject, whether it is books, movies, or restaurants, you always trust their opinion? Well this friend is a trusted literary go-to. After talking with her I decided to give this novel a second go and I must say that I am glad I did. While I do have mixed feelings about this book, it is absolutely worth a read.
    
     The premise of this novel by Elizabeth Strout is the character of Olive Kitteridge as seen from 13 different points of view. The 13 stories all present a different facet of Olive, but more often than not she comes across in a less than favorable light. This is not a novel about a lovable heroine that the reader is drawn to; in fact, the author said in an interview that she wrote this novel in short story format partly because she thought the reader might need an occasional break from Olive. She was right. The piecing together of these narratives present Olive as a blunt and over-bearing wife, mother, and former school teacher. She is unapologetic, harsh, and sometimes callous with fleeting moments of real depth and insight that force the reader to wonder "Who is Olive Kitteridge?" and "How did she become this way?"

     Without taking away all of the intensity that is this novel, one central idea in this book is recognized by Olive on p.211,
"Sometimes, like now, Olive had a sense of just how desperately hard every person in the world was working to get what they needed. For most, it was a sense of safety, in the sea of terror that life increasingly became. People thought love would do it, and maybe it did."
The thoughts in this passage are reflected not only by Olive but also by the other narrators that intersect with Olive as they struggle to get by in their own lives. Loneliness is also important to this novel, as that passage suggests. While reading these stories it becomes clear that loneliness is not only the driving force that has shaped her life, it is also what continues to haunt her daily. One of the best examples of this is on p. 68,
"She knows that loneliness can kill people--in different ways can actually make you die. Olive's private view is that life depends on what she thinks of as "big bursts" and "little bursts." Big bursts are things like marriage or children, intimacies that keep you afloat, but these big bursts hold dangerous, unseen currents. Which is why you need the little bursts as well: a friendly clerk at Bradlee's, let's say, or the waitress at Dunkin' Donuts who knows how you like your coffee. Tricky business, really."
Direct interactions and revelations, like this one, were the most intriguing part of the book, for me, and they were made even more significant by the alternating storylines of the surrounding characters.

    One part of this novel that I am taking away, first and foremost, is the idea that maybe the hardships we go through in life are so we can help someone with them in the future. I think Olive Kitteridge continually illustrates this theme, despite her seemingly cold exterior. This novel is above all poignant and extremely thought provoking. Some thoughts, you may wish it had not, but it will absolutely force you to look at life in a different light. Added bonus: the vocabulary in this book was exceptional!
One review of this novel said, "Fiction lovers, remember this name: Olive Kitteridge....You'll never forget her...."
I think they may be right.