My Name is Lucy Barton, by Elizabeth Strout

Staff review by Chris Saliba

An intimate and compelling short novel about a difficult relationship between a mother and daughter.

It is the 1980s. Lucy Barton is a writer, staying in a New York hospital for some minor surgery. Lucy's mother comes to visit her. It's the first time she's seen her mother since she left home and embarked on a successful career as a writer. Lucy's family life hasn't always been perfect. It seems she's been estranged from both her parents for quite some time. As Lucy stays in the hospital, with a beautiful view of New York's Chrysler Building, she reminisces with her mother over old times. They discuss friends and family members, their status as poor people, trying to make some sense of the past.


This is a very intimate novel that rakes over the coals of a troubled family history. It's very direct, going straight to matters of the heart. It's a book that is entirely gripping because of its honesty. 

My Name is Lucy Barton, by Elizabeth Strout. Published by Viking. ISBN: 9780241248782 RRP: 9780241248782

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