OLIVE, AGAIN

Welcome back, Olive, we’ve missed you! Olive, Again may be the best written book I’ve read all year, and now holds a place in my list of all time favorites. This mesmerizing collection of short stories is a sort-of-sequel to Pulitzer Prize winning Olive Kitteridge, which is a must read in general - but is not required reading to enjoy this newer book.

Olive is an elderly resident of Crosby, Maine who, in her later years, faces a reckoning as she reflects on her life. She can be withholding, crotchety, plainspoken to a fault, but her undeniable honesty and insight impact those around her in ways large and small. In these short stories, Olive is not always the focus, but her presence shows us that there are a myriad of ways to touch another person’s life, intentionally or not.

Many of us seek out voices that are underrepresented in literary fiction and different from our own. It struck me when reading Olive, Again that stories focusing on elderly individuals belong in this category, too. Olive, Again tackles aging in all its indignity, regret, vulnerability and tenderness - without relying on stereotypes like the kindly neighbor or the lovable curmudgeon. The characters’ authenticity and complexity deepen as their orbits intersect, revealing the contrasting themes of loneliness vs. connection throughout. What we are left with is a breathtaking collection of stories that show, more than anything, the power of humanity in the very faintest of contact between people.

I made this Maine lobster chowder on a snowy, icy day when a hearty stew seemed just the thing. Lest Olive dismiss this as something a tourist might eat, apparently it is a classic from Dick Bridges, a third generation Maine lobsterman who is famous for his recipe and sounds like a character straight out of Olive, Again. My kitchen now has all the scents of coastal Maine and it's making me want to reread this treasure one day, like a visit with an old friend.