Oh William!

THE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER The Pulitzer Prize-winning; Booker-longlisted; bestselling author returns to her beloved heroine Lucy Barton in a luminous novel about love; loss; and the family secrets that can erupt and bewilder us at any point in life Lucy Barton is a successful writer living in New York; navigating the second half of her life as a recent widow and parent to two adult daughters. A surprise encounter leads her to reconnect with William; her first husband - and longtime; on-again-off-again friend and confidante. Recalling their college years; the birth of their daughters; the painful dissolution of their marriage; and the lives they built with other people; Strout weaves a portrait; stunning in its subtlety; of a tender; complex; decades-long partnership. Oh William! captures the joy and sorrow of watching children grow up and start families of their own; of discovering family secrets; late in life; that alter everything we think we know about those closest to us; and the way people live and love; against all odds. At the heart of this story is the unforgettable; indomitable voice of Lucy Barton; who once again offers a profound; lasting reflection on the mystery of existence. 'This is the way of life;' Lucy says. 'The many things we do not know until it is too late.' 'A superbly gifted storyteller and a craftswoman in a league of her own' Hilary Mantel 'A terrific writer' Zadie Smith 'She gets better with each book' Maggie O'Farrell 'One of America's finest writers' Sunday Times