Play Book Tag discussion

In My Name Is Lucy Barton, Lucy is in the Hospital in NewYork and her mother came to visit. They talk about the people in their hometown in Amgash, Ohio. Anything Is Possible (Amgash #2) is set in Ohio, and spans the years before and after Lucy’s hospital stay. The structure of the book is similar to Olive Kitteredge, with connected short stories about many people in town. Each story is from a different point of view. The beginning of the book is a little off putting, as the town seems very tawdry, and the people mean spirited (e.g. gossiping about “sluts.) Everyone seems to remember that Lucy’s family was very poor. Some speak of them with disgust, and others with sympathy or kindness. The same is true of the Nicely girls, whose name seems to inspire comments about how nice they really are. The book gives us opposing views of several characters, which perhaps reveals truths about the complexity of people, the low value of gossip, or that we all notice and value different things.

There are many poignant stories in the book, often involving women who left their husbands or families. The book shows us different sides of those stories. I really enjoyed the story of a mother who waited until her children were grown to join her lover in Italy, and the angry daughter who went to Italy to visit her. Two stories made me cry, others made me smile, and one just made me mad. Overall it was a satisfying book, and I plan to continue reading the author’s books in preparation for Tell Me Everything, in which Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteredge become friends and tell one another stories. Bob Burgess from the Burgess Boys will be there too.