Elizabeth Strout:  Anything is possible, 9780241287972, Viking (Penguin Random House UK) Hardback

Elizabeth Strout’s “My name is Lucy Burton” became an instant New York Times Bestseller with the success continuing across the Atlantic landing on several  European bestseller lists.   In May 2017 her short story collection “Anything is possible” was published, all stories are connected to Amgash/Illinois, the home town of Lucy Barton.

 I love Elizabeth Strouts subtle, precise description of the lives of ordinary people, the horrors and hurts hidden behind the most ordinary small town facade.  Most stories start very innocently until wham, a real twist in the story shakes you.  As most of Amgash’s inhabitants are well known to each other or even related, the stories reveal interesting angles of previous characters in other stories. “Dottie’s Bed and Breakfast” for example is one of them as is “Sister” where Lucy Barton makes an appearance.

 

I greatly enjoyed each and every one of the short stories; Elizabeth Strout is a fantastic short story writer, go out and buy a copy. The German edition is not available yet.