Discuss Lucy's relationship with her ex-husband, William. Why do you think they have remained in each other's lives for so long? Were you satisfied with how they ended up?

Discuss Lucy's relationship with her ex-husband, William. Why do you think they have remained in each other's lives for so long? Were you satisfied with how they ended up at the end of the novel, or were you wary, like their daughters? Please explain.

I am happy they were together during the book, but I felt I didn’t really like or care about them much. I appreciated the fact that they had their children to care about; I’m glad they reunited, but I just didn’t feel much of anything for them.

At one point Lucy says William is familiar to her. William likes to fix things and Lucy is someone he likes to fix. By taking Lucy to Maine he was making sure that she would be safe. Lucy is the life he wanted to save. Who knows what is in store for them but I sure hope they stay together.

Lucy knew very little about the world when she left her small town and abusive home for college. It was William who essentially taught her all the things she didn’t know because of the way she grew up. William was most likely the first person who really loved Lucy. In spite of his infidelity, there was a strong connection between the two because of what William meant to Lucy when she first met him.

Even though Lucy is now a competent mother, a successful author, and has experienced the love of a second husband, I think she is still hindered by all the lessons she missed growing up. William knows this about her. He knew she wouldn’t understand the pandemic. He knew she wouldn’t know how to make a plan. He wanted to protect her, just like he did when he first met her.

William was the first person Lucy ever trusted on her own. He is the father of her children. Maybe because of her childhood abuse, it was somehow easier for her to accept William’s shortcomings and love him in spite of them.

I knew they would get back together when they went to Maine together. That was a no brainer.

Situations like the pandemic threw people out of their normal routines. William came in and took charge which was comforting in a time when she had no idea what was going on. He took advantage of her ignorance of the situation. He likes to control things and his last wife clearly was not going to be controlled. I did not like him and I thought she was easily manipulated.

It seemed as though they got back together out of convenience and as a result of circumstances.

I didn’t think it was realistic.

Stranger things have happened. I think Lucy needs William or someone and he is available and convenient.

Lucy’s relationship with William is a friendship from their college days. Two people who understand each other very well, from friendship and from marriage. I do think that William is a manipulator as some suggested in the book. He was at a place in his life in which he did not want to be alone. In many ways at this point in time, he was good to Lucy. He cared for their daughters and found office space for Lucy so that she would be more apt to continue her writing. I was satisfied with the ending. Lucy needs someone too, and she can remain alert.

I actually didn’t care for either William or Lucy. I felt that he was self absorbed and manipulative. I thought that Lucy was shallow and glossed over everything in her life. She allowed herself to be manipulated.

Occasionally one hears the stories of a first love reunited. I feel this is one of those stories. They met in college, were married for twenty years then divorced. They did maintain contact. Lucy was the one William "saved". Was it deep affection, familiarity, friendship or love? Perhaps none or all of the above. Hard to say as think both of them do have attachment issues.

Her marriage to William was the one of the first decisions Lucy made on her own. Even through divorce she still considered him very stable. He cares very much for her and he realized through all his marriages, his marriage to Lucy was what he thought a marriage should be like. They cared for one another and first loves are hard to forget.
Will they stay together? I guess we wait for Strout’s next book to find out. I do think they are back together because it is comforting to be with each other.

Discuss Lucy's relationship with her ex-husband, William. Why do you think they have remained in each other's lives for so long? Were you satisfied with how they ended up at the end of the novel, or were you wary, like their daughters? Please explain.
In the context of this book, Lucy and William's relationship is very comfortable for both of them. I think that their daughter's have kept them in each other's orbit for all these years. I appreciated how William was so focused on keeping Lucy safe through the pandemic, and really asked for nothing in return. The proximity and prolonged isolation drew them back together, but this time with perspective about life and each other. I was somewhat surprised that we were left at the end of the novel with Lucy's doubts. I thought that she made the decision to stay with William with eyes open about him, so I was surprised that she was so quickly given doubts. On the other hand, I suppose their daughters would know them both well enough to be able to have legitimate thoughts about their relationship.

I think their relationships with their daughters kept them in each
other's lives, but I don't think they would have revisited their relationship/marriage without the pandemic. I think William genuinely wanted to protect Lucy and the girls, but I really don't understand Lucy's acceptance of everything they'd gone through--both of them having affairs and Lucy's apparently successful marriage to David--which would lead her to reenter an intimate relationship with him. It seemed more that it was more convenient and familiar than that they had any real feelings for each other.

I think their relationship is based on friendship. Sometimes friends last longer than lovers. He was there for her when she was so lost when she went off to college. She knows, despite his infidelity, he will always be there when needed. They have children together, which is a very strong bond, but as much as it is hard to admit they are now at a point in their lives, aging where they know they will need someone who cares. And they do care about each other, hopefully friends to the end. It was a nice comforting end to a story in difficult times.

Lucy and William have an unbreakable bond based upon all they have been through together, and the fact that they have two daughters. They are comfortable around each other with no need for pretense and that is refreshing. They have genuine affection for each other, and care deeply for one another.

William is a fixer, and he knew that Lucy did not understand the scientific aspect of the pandemic, so he wanted to take care of her & keep her safe. Selfishly, though, he didn't want to be alone and I agreed with the daughters' questioning whether he manipulated Lucy into going to Maine. I think spending time in Maine with him during COVID was a healthy choice for Lucy -- physically and mentally -- because she would have been a wreck in NYC during those days. But it also served William's purposes.

However, I was disappointed when they decided to stay together in Maine for the foreseeable future. Lucy is settling for less than she deserves by staying with William. Yes, she feels safe, but safe often translates to stagnant. She is staying with a man because it is comfortable and familiar to do so, and mssing out out on the possibility that she could find another man who would adore her the way David did. And now William has surgically been rendered impotent? Does he really love and cherish Lucy, or is he just selfishly using her so that he won't have to spend his final days alone? I suspect that's the truth of it, and Lucy is simply going along because she is also afraid to get out and bravely seek out a fulfilling future for herself. It's a disappointing outcome, in my opinion, but a believable portrayal of a truly codependent and, in many ways, dysfunctional relationship.