Our book group choice for November 2017 is My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout. Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation.
My Name Is Lucy Barton is a novel by Elizabeth Strout that tells the story of a writer named Lucy Barton who reconnects with her estranged mother after being hospitalized for complications from her appendix surgery. The novel is told in the first person from Lucy’s perspective, and it spans five nights in the mid-1980s.
Lucy grew up in a dysfunctional household in Amgash, Illinois. Her father was an abusive alcoholic, and her mother was a timid, subservient woman who was unable to protect her children from their father’s violence. As a result, Lucy developed a deep sense of loneliness and isolation. She found solace in reading, and she eventually decided to become a writer.
After graduating from college, Lucy moved to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. She eventually married and had two daughters. However, she never forgot her childhood trauma, and she often felt like an outsider.
The novel begins with Lucy being hospitalized for complications from her appendix surgery. She is separated from her husband and daughters, and she is feeling lonely and vulnerable. Her mother, who she hasn’t spoken to in years, comes to visit her in the hospital.
Lucy’s mother, Lydia, is a small, mousy woman who seems to have changed very little since Lucy last saw her. She is still timid and subservient, and she still seems to be afraid of her husband. However, she is also loving and caring, and she is genuinely concerned about Lucy’s health.
Lucy and Lydia spend five nights together in the hospital. During that time, they talk about their childhood, their marriages, and their lives as mothers. They also talk about the abuse that Lucy experienced at the hands of her father.
At first, Lucy is reluctant to talk about her childhood trauma. However, as she talks to her mother, she begins to feel a sense of relief. She realizes that she has been carrying the burden of her trauma for all these years, and she is finally able to start to heal.
My Name Is Lucy Barton is a powerful and moving novel about family, trauma, and healing. Strout’s writing is clear, concise, and insightful. She captures the nuances of human emotion with great skill, and she creates characters that are both relatable and unforgettable.
The novel has been praised by critics for its honesty, its emotional depth, and its insights into the human condition. It has also been a commercial success, selling over 1 million copies in the United States.
Discussion Questions for My Name Is Lucy Barton
- Lucy’s husband asked her mother to visit her in the hospital, and paid for her trip. Do you think that was a gesture of love on his part?
- What role does the gossip Lucy and her mother share play in the book?
- Do you think Lucy blames her mother for the more painful parts of her childhood? Could her mother have done better?
- WWII and the Nazis are themes that profoundly affect Lucy’s father (and hence her whole family), Lucy’s marriage to her first husband, and even her dreams. Discuss.
- Lucy expresses great love for her doctor. How would you describe that love?
- Lucy’s friend Jeremy told her she needed to be “ruthless as a writer.” Did she take his advice? How?
- Why did Lucy keep returning again and again to see the marble statue at the Metropolitan Museum of Art?
- How has the poverty of Lucy’s childhood shaped her life and her work?
- What does living in New York City mean for Lucy? Do you think she feels at home in New York?
- What did Sarah Payne mean, when she said to Lucy: “We only have one story”?