by Elizabeth Strout
Olive, Again is divided into thirteen discontinuous yet interrelated chapters, each of which could function as a standalone short story. It is told in the third person, but each chapter focuses on one character, whose thoughts the narrator presents (Bookrags, n.d.).
According to Barbour, P. (n.d.) that Elizabeth Strout first wrote about her protagonist, Olive Kitteridge, in her 2008 novel bearing her heroine's name; this sequel follows a similar format, and consist of thirteen short stories set on the coast of Maine, that do not follow on from each other, although they are all related to each other in terms of events that are referenced or characters that Olive encounters. In this book, Olive is enjoying her seventies, and the stories cover ten years of her life. McMurtrie, J. (2019) stated that it's always on the periphery of these stories, if not at the center, is Olive. Some in Crosby view her simply as “that old bag,” but Strout, as in “Olive Kitteridge,” is exquisitely attuned to the subtleties of her beloved character’s innermost thoughts; she makes us feel for Olive, giving us an intimate, multifaceted and touching portrait of someone suffering alone. It turns out, too, that Olive, for all her irritability (“Oh Godfrey”) and her dismissiveness (“Phooey to you”), can actually be a softy, something of a largely unacknowledged guardian angel to townspeople.
Olive, Again talks about different issues in our society and most of it is still present in today's generation. Every chapter is related to normal life and what people mostly do and believe. The theme of this novel is memories which demonstrate how our perception of the past changes with our present situation. The author is not afraid to speak up about these societal issues and the story really focuses on how women fight every challenge that will come to her life. It makes us realize the importance of marriage and how we should value each relationship we had with other people.
References
Barbour, P. (n.d.). Olive, Again Background. Retrieved from https://wwwgradesaver.
com/olive-again
Bookrags (n.d.). Olive, Again Summary & Study Guide Description. Retrieved from
http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-olive-again/#gsc.tab=0
McMurtrie, J. (2019). The Return of Olive Kitteridge, the Tart, Crotchety, Beloved
Curmudgeon. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/
10/15/books/review/elizabeth-strout-olive-again.html
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