Before you know the reason for the estrangement between Amy and Isabelle, where do your sympathies lie? What insights do their brunch in the restaurant and window-shopping spree, as well as their uncomfortable encounter with Barbara Rawley at the grocery store give you into the nature of their relationship before the crisis?.
What role does Isabelle's "crush" on Avery Clark play in her life? How do her fantasies about being a loving wife to Avery compare to the way she treats Amy and runs their home? Which is the "real" Isabelle?. Why is Amy so attracted to Fat Bev? What does the atmosphere at the mill offer her that she finds neither at home nor at school?. How does her desire to re-create herself affect the way she is perceived by other people? How does it influence the way she raises Amy? 
Isabelle comes to Shirley Falls in order to start a new life. It is only as Isabelle works through these feelings that she embraces her own past and feels safe enough to share with Amy their history that ultimately leads to the sense of belonging they both are longing for.Questions for Discussion Amy and Isabelle But the less expected ones are perhaps those most human – the jealousy she feels at her daughter’s brush with affection and sensuality. Some are expected – the anger and embarrassment of the situation. When Amy’s indiscretion comes to light, Isabelle works through a whole rainbow of emotions. If you’re thinking Amy is the most obvious example of this, it is actually the portrayal of Isabelle I am most taken with. She is excellent at creating characters who are fully human, without passing judgement on them. While this is the first of Strout’s three novels, I feel like it is the best example of her art. Isabelle, the mother, is secretary to man she admires and feels caught in her status – wanting desperately to be accepted by him and not wanting to be lumped into the status of her co-workers who seem slightly more provincial than she considers herself.Īmy, the daughter, has developed a relationship with a mysterious bachelor teacher, and when the relationship turns sexual and is exposed, Isabelle is not only forced to accept that she may be the topic of small-town gossip, but feels the surge of her own secret past as it catches up with her. The title characters are mother and daughter, living in a small town and each struggling – often against each other – for identity that is caught up in the balance of independence and belonging. But, the familiar sense was inviting so I kept reading, and the revisit was well worth it. 
Recipe :: Christmas (Swedish) Tea RingsĪs soon as I read the first line of Elizabeth Strout’s Amy and Isabelle, I knew I had been here before. Recipe :: Kale and Brussel Sprout Salad. Recipe :: Delicious and Creamy Shrimp Corn Chowder. Recipe :: Beef, Mushroom and Barley Soup. Recipe :: Balsamic-Tomato Dipping Sauce.
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