Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout (born January 6, 1956, Portland, Maine, U.S.) American author known for her empathetic novels that are typically set in small towns and feature flawed but likable characters dealing with personal issues. Many of the works are connected, with characters appearing in multiple books. Strout’s most notable novel is perhaps Olive Kitteridge (2008), which won a Pulitzer Prize.

Strout is the youngest of two children born to Beverly Strout, a high-school writing teacher, and Dick Strout, a professor of parasitology. The family lived in New Hampshire and Maine. Strout began writing at an early age, and her mother encouraged her to observe people and take notes. After studying English at Bates College (B.A., 1977), she held a series of odd jobs while continuing to write. In 1982 she published her first short story. That year she earned a Juris Doctor degree from Syracuse University College of Law. A self-described “terrible lawyer,” Strout practiced for only six months but later claimed that the analytical training of law school helped her eliminate “excessive emotion” from her stories. In 1983 Strout moved to New York City. There she continued to write, and her work appeared in various periodicals. For some 12 years she also taught English part-time at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.

In 1998 Strout published her first novel, Amy and Isabelle (TV movie 2001), which explores the relationship between a single mother and her 16-year-old daughter after the latter is seduced by a teacher. A bestseller, the work was praised for its spare prose and for Strout’s empathetic portrayal of characters struggling for connection and understanding. Her next novel, Abide with Me (2006), centres on a reverend who is grieving the death of his wife. While not as successful as her previous work, it was a thoughtful look into the human condition. In Olive Kitteridge (2008) the author introduced one of literature’s more memorable characters: the eponymous cantankerous yet compassionate teacher living in the small town of Crosby, Maine. The work, which contains 13 connected stories, won a Pulitzer Prize and later was made into an HBO miniseries (2014) that starred Frances McDormand. The Burgess Boys (2013) takes place in Shirley Falls, Maine, the fictional setting of Amy and Isabelle. It explores family dynamics as two brothers try to help their divorced sister and her son, who has been charged with a hate crime.

Strout then began her acclaimed Amgash series, which centres on a New York writer named Lucy Barton. The character first appears in My Name Is Lucy Barton (2016). Hospitalized with a life-threatening infection, Lucy is unexpectedly visited by her mother, whom she has not seen in years. Over the ensuing days, Lucy reflects on her difficult childhood in rural Amgash, Illinois, while examining her current life. The book—and subsequent installments in the series—was written in a confiding conversational tone that creates an intimacy between the reader and Lucy. A stage adaptation of the novel later appeared in London (2018) and on Broadway (2020), with Laura Linney in the title role.

Amgash is the setting of Anything Is Possible (2017), which follows a number of characters mentioned in My Name Is Lucy Barton. It also offers additional details about Lucy’s childhood, which is more traumatic than first portrayed. In Olive, Again (2019), Strout continued the story of Olive Kitteridge while introducing several new characters. Strout returned to the Amgash series with Oh William! (2021), which is set several decades after My Name Is Lucy Barton. While grieving the death of her second husband, Lucy tries to help her first husband through a series of crises and continues to struggle with the scars of her childhood. Lucy by the Sea (2022) takes place during the COVID-19 pandemic as Lucy and her first husband flee New York City for Crosby, Maine. Amid the isolation and turmoil, they rekindle their relationship, and Lucy draws parallels between the lockdown and her own childhood. Characters from earlier books, notably Olive, also make appearances.