Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

It won the Pulitzer, so no surprise, it’s really good. The format is a collection of interconnected short stories that focus on the inhabitants of a small town in Maine. Olive Kitteridge, who is funny and terrifying at the same time, is in some way large or small connected to each story. She often has great insight and empathy for the characters around her, but doesn’t understand herself. The writing reminds me of Andre Dubus, which means I think it’s top notch. The stories deal with the commonalities of the human condition- relationships, love, loss, loneliness, surviving. The book is poignant, insightful, and all the other key words one uses to talk about quality literature.