Lucy By The Sea Elizabeth Strout Viking €19

Booker-shortlisted Strout continues the adventures of her novelist heroine Lucy Barton. As

Covid reshapes the world, Lucy, who’s empathetic and introspective, leaves Manhattan with her ex-husband, the often-exasperating William, and heads to Maine. It’s a musing, melancholy read, awash with reminiscence as Lucy grieves for her late second husband, misses her daughters, and recalls a troubled and troubling past. The novel delicately captures her isolation while quietly celebrating the joys of human connection, and the irresistible pull of hope.