Olive Kitteridge is a collection of stories by American author Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout is an American author of fiction.She was born in Portland, Maine, and was raised in small towns in Maine and New Hampshire. After graduating from Bates College, she spent a year in Oxford, England, followed by studies at law school for another year...

. It covers 13 connected short stories about a woman named Olive and her immediate family and friends in the town of Crosby in coastal Maine. It is also known as On the Coast of Maine. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life. It originated as the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, which was awarded between 1918 and 1947.-1910s:...

 in 2009, and was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award

National Book Critics Circle Award

The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....

.

Stories Included in the Collection

• Pharmacy
• Incoming Tide
• The Piano Player
• A Little Burst
• Starving
• A Different Road
• Winter Concert
• Tulips
• Basket of Trips
• Ship in a Bottle
• Security
• Criminal
• River

Characters

The Kitteridge Family

• Olive Kitteridge - an abrasive junior high school math teacher, later a volunteer for a variety of organizations including the American Red Cross
  American Red Cross
  The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
  
   and a museum in Portland, Maine
  Portland, Maine
  Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
  
  .
• Henry Kitteridge - Olive's husband, Crosby's town pharmacist.
• Pauline Kitteridge - Henry's mother. She and Olive had a bad relationship.
• Ora - Olive's aunt.
• Christopher "Chris" Kitteridge - Olive and Henry's son, a podiatrist.
• Dr. Suzanne "Sue" Bernstein-Kitteridge - Chris's first wife, Jewish, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
  
  , convinces him to leave Crosby and move to California
  California
  California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
  
  , they divorce soon thereafter.
• Ann Kitteridge - Chris's second wife, met in a support group for divorcees, encourages him to follow their therapist to New York City
  New York City
  New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
  
  .
• Theodore - Ann's son by her first marriage.
• Annabelle - Ann's daughter, father never identified, apparently the result of a fling after her divorce.

The Thibodeau/McCarthy Family

• Denise Thibodeau - works at Henry Kitteridge's pharmacy, the not-so-secret object of his affection.
• Henry Thibodeau - Denise's first husband, a former football hero, works as a plumber, killed in a hunting accident by his best friend Tony Kuzio.
• Jerry McCarthy - overweight delivery boy at the pharmacy, eventually becomes Denise's second husband, they move to Texas
  Texas
  Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
  
  .
• Paul McCarthy - Jerry and Denise's son, an obese teenager like his father.

Lounge Patrons and Employees

• Angela "Angie" O'Meara - alcoholic piano player.
• Malcolm Moody - Crosby's first selectman, having an extramarital affair with Angie.
• Joe - bartender.
• Betty - waitress.
• Walter Dalton - alcoholic regular, former college professor, Malcom Moody calls him a "fairy."
• Simon - Angie's former boyfriend, also a piano player, left her to become a real estate lawyer in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Foster Connections

• Daisy Foster - goes to church with Henry Kitteridge (whereas Olive will not).
• Copper Foster - Daisy's deceased husband, a policeman.
• Harmon - surname never given, owns hardware store, has an affair with Daisy.
• Bonnie - Harmon's wife, he eventually leaves her for Daisy. They have 4 adult sons, but only two are named.
• Kevin - One of Harmon and Bonnie's sons, he keeps in closest contact with his parents.
• Derrick - Another of Harmon and Bonnie's sons, more aloof.
• Martha - Kevin's wife, a vegetarian.

The Burnham Connections

• Timothy "Tim" Burnham - sawmill worker, busted for growing marijuana.
• Nina White - Tim's girlfriend, suffers from anorexia
  Anorexia nervosa
  Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
  
  , Daisy Foster, Harmon and Olive all try to help her, eventually dies in treatment.
• Victoria - Nina's friend who eventually steals Tim from her and worsens her eating disorder.
• Kathleen Burnham - Tim's aunt.

The Houlton Family

• Jane Houlton - school nurse at junior high school, works with Olive.
• Bob Houlton - Jane's husband, apparently has a former mistress in Miami, Florida
  Miami, Florida
  Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
  
  .
• Becky Houlton - Jane and Bob's daughter.
• Tim Houlton - Jane and Bob's son.

The Granger Family

• Alan Granger - he and his wife are called "The Lydias" by the Houlton family, because their connection is thru their daughter.
• Donna Granger - the other half of "The Lydias," has eye lift surgery that Jane Houlton finds disturbing.
• Lydia Granger - Alan and Donna's daughter, married a veterinarian
  Veterinarian
  A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
  
   who bit her.
• Patty Granger - another daughter of Alan and Donna.

The Larkin Family

• Roger Larkin - a banker.
• Louise Larkin - Roger's wife, a guidance counselor at Olive's school, undergoes shock therapy in Portland.
• Doyle Larkin - Roger and Louise's son, murders a woman by stabbing her repeatedly.

The Monroe-Bonney Family

• Marlene Monroe Bonney - Olive's former student, also mentioned as a customer at Harmon's hardware store.
• Ed Bonney - Marlene's high school sweetheart and eventual husband, owns a grocery, dies after a lengthy illness.
• Eddie Bonney - Marlene and Ed's son, serves in the United States Coast Guard
  United States Coast Guard
  The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
  
  .
• Lee Ann Bonney - Marlene and Ed's daughter, studying to become a nurse.
• Cheryl Bonney - Marlene and Ed's younger daughter.
• Kerry Monroe - Marlene's cousin, gets in trouble with the law, briefly tries to seduce Chris Kitteridge, an alcoholic, gets a job at the Bonney grocery, seduces Ed (which she reveals at his funeral before passing out).

The Harwood Family

• Anita Harwood - cashier at hospital coffee shop, former "Miss Potato Queen."
• Jim/Jimmy Harwood - Anita's husband, school janitor, recovering alcoholic.
• Winnifred "Winnie" Harwood - Anita and Jim's daughter.
• Julie - Anita's daughter by her first marriage, one of Olive's former students.
• Kyle - Winnie's uncle, evidently Anita's brother, supplies the family with tranquilizers.
• Ted - Anita's first husband, Julie's father, a carpenter.
• Bruce - Julie's fiance who jilts her on their wedding day, a vacationer from Boston who rented a cottage with his brothers.

The Brown-Caskey Family

• Rebecca Brown - one of Olive's former students, a kleptomaniac who can't get a job.
• David - Rebecca's live-in boyfriend.
• Rev. Carleton Brown - Rebecca's father.
• Charlotte Caskey Brown - Rebecca's mother, abandons her family, moves to Tarzana, California where she becomes a follower of Scientology
  Scientology
  Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
  
  .
• Katherine Caskey - Rebecca's aunt.
• Rev. Tyler Caskey - Rebecca's grandfather, a Congregational minister.

Townfolk

• Bob Beane - encountered Angie O'Meara's ex-boyfriend Simon in Boston.
• Andrea Bibber - one of Olive's former students, a social worker
• Cynthia Bibber - Andrea's mother, suggests Olive and Henry are depressed after hospital incident.
• Mary Blackwell - indiscreet nurse who revealed Louise Larkin had undergone shock treatments at the hospital where she used to work in Portland, later takes a job at a local nursing home.
• Susan Bradford - attends Ed Bonney's funeral.
• Emily Buck - postal clerk.
• Cindy - Henry Kitteridge's nurse at the assisted living facility after he has a stroke.
• Molly Collins - home economics teacher, she and Olive help Marlene Bonney host a reception after her husband's funeral.
• Candy Connelly - Harmon's fourth grade crush.
• Harry Coombs - died of lymphoma.
• Dr. Kevin Coulson - returns from New York to commit suicide, impulse interrupted by a visit with Olive and a near drowning.
• Bessie Davis - old maid, frequent customer at Harmon's hardware store, lonely, talks too much.
• Mrs. Granger - cantankerous employee at Henry Kitteridge's pharmacy, dies in her sleep, replaced by Denise Thibodeau.
• Matt Grearson - attends Ed Bonney's funeral.
• Cecil Green - "slow," he brings coffee and donuts to the reporters who hover around the Larkin home after Doyle murders a woman.
• Patty Crane Howe - waitress at the marina, recently miscarried, almost drowns but is rescued by Kevin Coulson and Olive.
• Rachel Jones - gets Valium from Henry Kitteridge after her husband leaves her.
• Jack Kennison - stuffy Harvard graduate, retired in Crosby with wife, they have one daughter (unnamed) who is a lesbian
  Lesbian
  Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
  
   and lives in California, he and Olive begin dating after they are both widowed, she is shocked to discover he is a Republican
  Republican Party (United States)
  The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
  
  .
• Mrs. Kettleworth - Daisy Foster stole a pear from her front yard when she was a child.
• Tony Kuzio - Henry Thibodeau's lifelong friend, kills him in a hunting accident.
• Miss Lampley - Chris Kitteridge's first grade teacher.
• Beth Marden - operates a nursery school, Julie's former employer.
• Donny Madden - attends Ed Bonney's funeral.
• Greg Marston - buys ball bearings at Harmon's hardware store.
• Mrs. Merriman - gets her blood pressure medicine at Henry Kitteridge's pharmacy.
• Cliff Mott - suffering from heart disease but still shovels snow.
• Bill Newton - friend of Henry and Olive Kitteridge.
• Bunny Newton - Bill's wife, Olive's confidante.
• Karen Newton - Bill and Bunny's daughter, cheats on her husband Eddie.
• Jim O'Casey - taught at junior high school with Olive, he picked her and Chris up every morning to drive them to school, spoke of leaving their spouses and running away together but he died in an automobile accident before acting on this impulse.
• Wayne Roote - suffers from dementia.
• Betty Simms - close neighbor of Olive and Henry, had five children.
• Mrs. Tibbets - gets erythromycin prescription filled at Henry Kitteridge's pharmacy.
• Les Washburn - landlord, rents a house first to Tim Burnham and Nina White, but evicts them after a pot bust, later rents the same house to Daisy Foster and Harmon.

Other Minor Characters

• Arthur - therapist that Chris and Ann Kitteridge follow to New York City
  New York City
  New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
  
  
• Janice Bernstein - Chris Kitteridge's mother-in-law.
• Jace Burke - Rebecca Brown's college boyfriend, a piano player in Boston.
• Dr. Murray Goldstein - Kevin Coulson's mentor, a psychiatrist.
• Muffin Luke - hospital administrator who treated Nina White's eating disorder.
• Sean O'Casey - Chris Kitteridge's tenant in Brooklyn
  Brooklyn
  Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
  
  , a Christian fundamentalist, the Kitteridges never ascertain whether or not he might be one of Jim O'Casey's six children.
• Clara Pilkington - Kevin Coulson's "completely crazy" former girlfriend.

External links

• Photos of the first edition of Olive Kitteridge
• Pulitzer Prize citation
• "The Locals", book review The New York Times
• "Emotions are raw and real in 'Olive Kitteridge'", book review Boston Globe
• "Family Matters", book review The Washington Post
  The Washington Post
  The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
  
  
• Olive Kitteridge Review