Olive Kitteridge Teaches Us How So Much of Life Is Squandered
I'm rarely a reader of fiction. While I've certainly enjoyed it in the past, I now find myself drawn to non-fiction works focusing on a variety of societal issues with the belief that if I educate myself more, I'll somehow find hope in the hopelessness of life. Angered by my last read, of which the title now escapes me, my wife suggested Olive Kitteridge – a work of fiction she enjoyed and thought I might as well. In desperate need of a change in my literary themes, I figured there was no harm in giving it a try. To my surprise, this well-written novel by Elizabeth Strout was impactful, inspiring, and realistic to the point that the reader could genuinely empathize with the characters and their situations. Such a work…