Giftus Johns Ma William and her Circle of Friends recreates the idyllic life in the village of Senjo with a shopkeeper, Ma William, at its center. Her shop is a mecca of sorts; one where the villagers assemble to discuss the issues that impact their lives. John constructs an edenic landscape where communal activities such as playing mas, helping the local fishermen, attending mass, or going to a religious wake occupy center stage in the lives of the villagers. However, the impression of a settled and close-knit village is illusory. Politics fragments the community. Migration takes a toll as young and old seek supposedly greener pastures. The village is slowly changing as a result of these external forces. The reader is left to wonder whether or not these changes are indeed for the better. Written with great sensitivity and attention to local speech rhythms, Giftus Johns most recent work recreates a life which is slowly witnessing its demise. This book confirms Johns reputation as one of Dominicas finest writers. Justice Irving W. Andr Ontario, Canada Giftus John has done it again! His Ma William and Her Circle of Friends continues his great tradition of entertaining and enlightening Caribbean prose. This is a must-read for people of the Caribbean and for those who love the Caribbean or want an education in Caribbean culture. Vaughn E. James Glenn West Research Professor of Law and Director, Tax Clinic Texas Tech University School of Law Lubbock, Texas

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout explores the mysteries of marriage and the secrets we keep, as a former couple reckons with where they’ve come from—and what they’ve left behind. BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air “Elizabeth Strout is one of my very favorite writers, so the fact that Oh William! may well be my favorite of her books is a mathematical equation for joy. The depth, complexity, and love contained in these pages is a miraculous achievement.”—Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House I would like to say a few things about my first husband, William. Lucy Barton is a writer, but her ex-husband, William, remains a hard man to read. William, she confesses, has always been a mystery to me. Another mystery is why the two have remained connected after all these years. They just are. So Lucy is both surprised and not surprised when William asks her to join him on a trip to investigate a recently uncovered family secret—one of those secrets that rearrange everything we think we know about the people closest to us. What happens next is nothing less than another example of what Hilary Mantel has called Elizabeth Strout’s “perfect attunement to the human condition.” There are fears and insecurities, simple joys and acts of tenderness, and revelations about affairs and other spouses, parents and their children. On every page of this exquisite novel we learn more about the quiet forces that hold us together—even after we’ve grown apart. At the heart of this story is the indomitable voice of Lucy Barton, who offers a profound, lasting reflection on the very nature of existence. “This is the way of life,” Lucy says: “the many things we do not know until it is too late.” ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Time, Vulture, She Reads