Oh William!

Oh William! is a novel by American writer Elizabeth Strout, published on October 19, 2021, by Random House. The novel focusses on a now successful, middle-age writer, Lucy Barton, whose earlier life was at the center of Strout's novels My Name Is Lucy Barton (2016) and Anything Is Possible (2017). It deals in particular with her relationship to her ex-husband, William, with whom she has two adult daughters. While he is now in his third marriage, Lucy has been recently widowed after a happy second marriage. The novel also explores Williams's family history and reveals unexpected details about his now deceased mother and father. The story of how these findings impact their later lives will be continued in the fourth novel in the series, Lucy by the Sea (2022). The book was a New York Times and IndieBound best seller. It was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize which was announced on September 6, 2022.