Amy and Isabelle

 

Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout

Fiction

1998

Finished on January 27, 2025

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

In her stunning first novel, Amy and Isabelle, Elizabeth Strout evokes a teenager's alienation from her distant mother—and a parent's rage at the discovery of her daughter's sexual secrets. In most ways, Isabelle and Amy are like any mother and her 16-year-old daughter, a fierce mix of love and loathing exchanged in their every glance. And eating, sleeping, and working side by side in the gossip-ridden mill town of Shirley Falls doesn't help matters. But when Amy is discovered behind the steamed-up windows of a car with her math teacher, the vast and icy distance between mother and daughter becomes unbridgeable.

As news of the scandal reaches every ear, it is Isabelle who suffers from the harsh judgment of Shirley Falls, intensifying her shame about her own secret past. And as Amy seeks comfort elsewhere, she discovers the fragility of human happiness through other dramas, from the horror of a missing child to the trials of Fat Bev, the community peacemaker. Witty and often profound, Amy and Isabelle confirmed Elizabeth Strout as a powerful new talent.

It's been 25 years since I read Amy and Isabelle, and according to my reading journal notes, I didn't care for it as much as I did this second time around. My plan for 2025 is to reread all of Strout's books (in order of publication), as well as those that I missed or are recently published. 

I marveled at Strout's storytelling, in awe that such a beautifully constructed work was a debut novel. The characters are fully realized, and the dialogue rings true. My heart ached for both mother and daughter in this story, not simply for the ebb and flow of the tension in their relationship, but for their insecurities and loneliness within their community. I was filled with anger towards Isabelle's math teacher, and wish more had come of the discovery of his predatory actions toward such a vulnerable young girl.

Below are my earlier thoughts about the novel. I'm glad I reread this book and that I enjoyed it more than I imagined I would.

My Original Thoughts (2000):

Not bad, but not great. Mother-daughter story. Daughter gets involved with one of her teachers and her mother finds out. Somewhat depressing. Fairly predictable, too, yet it held my attention.

My Current Thoughts (2021):

I remember a little bit about this novel, but no longer own a copy and probably wouldn't read it a second time, based on my average rating. I've read two other books by Strout (Olive Kitteridge and My Name is Lucy Barton) and tried to read The Burgess Boys, but couldn't get interested. Strout has quite a following, but other than Olive Kitteridge (which I loved), I haven't been too impressed. With that said, I am looking forward to reading Olive, Again and I'll give Oh William! a try.