Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories

Because the language and characters are so good, this book is enjoyable to read even though the scenes portrayed are sometimes depressing, and even though I usually prefer novels to short stories. The character, Olive, is portrayed through a number of stories which center on different characters who live in her New England town. This at times reminded me of Salinger's stories, in that some of the minor characters in one story appear later in their own stories. This creates a loose web of relationships and shows different views of the characters. I had not read anything by Elizabeth Strout before, but this book makes me want to read more of her writing. ( )