By the Sea: By the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2021

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Lucy By The Sea holds its own as an engaging and relatable story, where human bonds of love and meaning — over-examined and frayed as they may become in crisis — still serve as the essence of what makes us feel we matter and belong. I got to know the tides: I mean I got to understand when they went out and came back in, and they comforted me. Meg and Gran are so engrossed by what they can see in the rock pools, that they do not notice an approaching wave. By the time of the judges' final meeting he had read it five times, enjoyed it more and understood it better each time. No es un libro muy bueno, honestamente, y no puede medirse de ningún modo con por ejemplo Gravel Heart del mismo autor, que es un libro excelente.

In fact it was reported in The Times that they had whittled the shortlist down to those two novels and it was only the chair John Sutherland's casting vote that decided the winner. As the narrative progresses we get to know more about Lucy’s daughters and their respective lives- their childhood, professional and personal lives and their bond with their parents. This novel is beautifully written and weaves its way through two parallel lives as it tells the story of two extended families, their interactions, their experiences of living through and after a revolution (the 1964 revolution in Zanzibar), and life post colonialism.

The only regret about this post-exotic legend is that it should end at all—there are other protagonists in this book whose flight we'd have liked to follow, whether they're blown by those tropical winds to the gray cities of England or other places by the sea. Funny coincidence: I ran across her mention of the attack on the Capitol on the same day the hearings started and I began watching. Colonialism and the violent transition to a new government in Zanzibar constitute part of the story’s background.

It could be read as a stand-alone but I don’t recommend it as there are spoilers about previous books in this one. Strout’s secret sauce, I think, is her ability to show Lucy’s feelings instead of telling us about them. For the next several months, it's just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the moody, swirling sea.The book is pretty damn quiet, but the smothered tone somehow makes the emotions stand out more; it’s a cover for all the feelings that are in the lines and between them. This is the latest in a series of occasional posts featuring books I read years ago about which I was wildly enthusiastic at the time, wanting to press a copy into as many hands as I could. Upon arrival at Gatwick Airport, Omar presents an invalid visa, made out to his distant cousin and most hated enemy, Rajab Shaaban Mahmud. She begins to understand and see beyond the stereotypical Trump supporters through meeting Charlene at the food pantry, and her sister, Vicky, people living under heavy pressures, part of the troubled communities who have been regarded with contempt and looked down on by establishment circles.