Anything is Possible

St Just Thursday Evening Reading Group 4th November 2021.

Anything is possible. Elizabeth Strout.

The majority of readers in the group enjoyed this book, seeing it as a series of short stories linked together by a narrative thread which is drawn together at the end. The characters concerned in successive chapters all share a common acquaintance, including with the author Lucy Barton who appears in Elizabeth Strout’s other books, and all of them were brought up in the same American mid-west town.

Most readers thought this worked really well as a structure. The recurring themes of shocking and shameful poverty, and the ingrained attitudes of a small American town, were commented upon; how poverty brings about small-mindedness and abuse, and how cruelty and denial affect families and individuals and marriages. Many human tragedies arise from these factors, and it is these tragedies which make up the book. A compassionate writer, one reader thought, with respect and empathy for everyone and their own inner lives; she shows the positive side of human relationships, but also the loneliness.

Elizabeth Strout’s writing style was described as being “always understated and succinct, and yet tells of some appalling events”; “on the surface, unflowery and matter of fact but her writing has great depth and understanding”; and “she writes a little like Ann Tyler using subtlety and rather dark humour to reveal her characters and the way they deal with the past”. An “easy read novel”; and “the characterisations are thoughtful, perceptive and poignant”. One reader thought the introduction of Lucy Barton to the reader, and then the delay before her arrival, was “a brilliant ploy”. The descriptions were also appreciated: the pale blue décor in the bed and breakfast place being likened to a “shy child”; the “clackety teacups”; and “British comedies were ridiculous, so removed from anything real”.

The book’s title: did this refer to the American Dream, in a positive way – whoever you are, anything is open to you; or is it the darker side of anything being possible – incest, attempted rape voyeurism?

There were several readers said they did not get on well with the book, and said they failed to relate to the characters or the setting. One thought it “disjointed”, and another “too sparse”, feeling that more depth was needed for each character, and more drawing together of the different threads.

Generally a popular book, several of the group having read other titles by this author.

This book was read during October 2021 and the continuing restrictions due to the Covid-19 virus, and so the discussion was not 'live' as usual, but took place via a Facebook group, email and telephone conversations.

In this book the the author certainly keeps you on your toes with the numerous characters and their stories. Unflinchingly candid, the subjects covered in this book at times make for uncomfortable reading. That said, the author's style is 'less is more', with awful situations often alluded to, but not gratuitously described. If I were pressed to describe this book, I would say that it is a 'slice of real life'. Brilliant.

This book is billed as a collection of short stories, but as they are all intertwined it almost reads as a novel. It features characters from Amgash, the childhood home of one of Elizabeth Strout’s iconic characters, Lucy Barton. Lucy herself puts in an appearance in one of the stories. The characters are all ordinary people and their stories are not necessarily extraordinary or dramatic, just very real and very well told.

What a gem of a little book. Very unassuming but so poignant, natural and real. On the surface it is a collection of stand-alone short stories about various people in the town of Amgash, each of which is excellent in its own right. It becomes so much more than that as the book progresses and connections between the residents are revealed which draw all the separate stories into one wonderful whole. A classic case of the whole being better than the sum of its parts. Unbeknown to me at the time, I should probably have read “My Name is Lucy Barton” first as I have subsequently discovered that this book fills in some of the background to her story. Anyway, I didn’t and I don’t think it marred my enjoyment of it one iota. It is easy to read, very short (more novella than novel in length) and very well written.

The only negative comment I have (and it is a very slight one) is that when I started the book I was getting very confused as to who was who. As all the people that we meet have lives that intertwine, I spent quite a lot of time looking back to see how the person whose name had just been mentioned (and who I knew I had met somewhere before) fitted into the overall picture of this world that was opening up to me. By the time I reached the end I had a much clearer picture of this world and the people who populated it, so was not so much in need of an Amgash family tree. Whether or not this issue would have been mitigated if I had read My Name is Lucy Barton first I have no idea.

If you have not read any Elizabeth Strout before, I strongly recommend that you start now. On completing this book, the first thing that I did was get myself a copy of My Name is Lucy Barton and most of the other books that this author has written. I guess there isn’t much higher praise possible. This book is accessible to everyone, and I think everyone should read it!!