Book: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
I don’t mean to be harsh, but I’m surprised that Olive Kitteridge was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. I did not enjoy this read at all.
It is probably the most depressing book I have ever read. Every story is about how life is miserable and that the best one can do is “manage.”
I do not like the structure, a series of short stories that are supposed to build into a novel, or Olive Kitteridge, the designated link between all these stories. I found her unsympathetic and infuriating.
Besides the idea that life is miserable and that everyone is settling, the book also takes on parents messing up their children as a theme. Man, this is a depressing read.
Elizabeth Strout is a strong writer. If I had read any of these stories in a self-contained format, I would have loved it. She builds good characters, settings, and moods. But all these stories back-to-back… all depressing and a little bit hateful. Ugh.
The editor who suggested this needs a check-down.