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A review by arizonas
Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
4.0
I've arrived mystifyingly late to Elizabeth Strout and decided to read them in the order they were written. This stifling, simmering exploration of a mother-daughter relationship and their separate longings and secret desires is best experienced in sweltering summer conditions - just to add another layer of discomfort.
Isabelle's discovery of her fifteen-year-old daughter's involvement with an older man elicits complicated feelings of rage and regret. She is angry at the exploitation of her underage daughter and with Amy for her deception but also envious of Amy for experiencing a passion that Isabelle once felt herself in a partial mirroring of the events.
Told from two narrative viewpoints, the expression and suppression of desire unfold against an egregiously hot Maine summer, mostly set in a factory office. It also tells the story of female friendship and the tentative connections Isabelle make as she processes her humiliations.
In an age of safeguarding, grooming and awareness of predatory behaviour, it is perhaps discomforting to see such a light touch used to delineate this crossing of boundaries. The descriptions of 'Fat Bev' also made me wince a little.
Although not perfect, the evocative sensory detail, the distinctive characterisations of both main characters and the emotional depth of the novel make it a vivid read.
Isabelle's discovery of her fifteen-year-old daughter's involvement with an older man elicits complicated feelings of rage and regret. She is angry at the exploitation of her underage daughter and with Amy for her deception but also envious of Amy for experiencing a passion that Isabelle once felt herself in a partial mirroring of the events.
Told from two narrative viewpoints, the expression and suppression of desire unfold against an egregiously hot Maine summer, mostly set in a factory office. It also tells the story of female friendship and the tentative connections Isabelle make as she processes her humiliations.
In an age of safeguarding, grooming and awareness of predatory behaviour, it is perhaps discomforting to see such a light touch used to delineate this crossing of boundaries. The descriptions of 'Fat Bev' also made me wince a little.
Although not perfect, the evocative sensory detail, the distinctive characterisations of both main characters and the emotional depth of the novel make it a vivid read.