REVIEW: Oh William! was not my first book by Elizabeth Strout. I was surprised by how many of her books I’ve read. I think there is something about her writing style that just draws me in. It’s kind of like conversing or corresponding with an old friend. For me, she doesn’t have an eloquent or lyrical writing style. She writes exactly like someone might talk to themselves. It moves in a linear direction but, it kind of wanders around like my mind seems to do when I’m pondering something. Elizabeth Strout has a style all her own. 

This book explores human relationships and how they are all different. Lucy takes a trip with her ex-husband to investigate an old family secret. It’s interesting how the parties involved handle the discovery. Lucy and William’s friendship has stood the test of time which I liked. 

There are two other books in this series. My Name is Lucy Barton and Anything is Possible. If you’ve read the first two, you’ll want to read this one but, don’t let it stop you from reading this one even if you haven’t read the others. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from #RandomHouse and #Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.  

SYNOPSIS: The Pulitzer Prize-winning, Booker-longlisted, bestselling author returns to her beloved heroine Lucy Barton in a luminous novel about love, loss, and the family secrets that can erupt and bewilder us at any point in life

Lucy Barton is a successful writer living in New York, navigating the second half of her life as a recent widow and parent to two adult daughters. A surprise encounter leads her to reconnect with William, her first husband – and longtime, on-again-off-again friend and confidante. Recalling their college years, the birth of their daughters, the painful dissolution of their marriage, and the lives they built with other people, Strout weaves a portrait, stunning in its subtlety, of a tender, complex, decades-long partnership.

Oh William! captures the joy and sorrow of watching children grow up and start families of their own; of discovering family secrets, late in life, that alter everything we think we know about those closest to us; and the way people live and love, against all odds. At the heart of this story is the unforgettable, indomitable voice of Lucy Barton, who once again offers a profound, lasting reflection on the mystery of existence. ‘This is the way of life,’ Lucy says. ‘The many things we do not know until it is too late.’