There are no "characters" in the novels of Elizabeth Strout -- only people so carefully and precisely drawn that readers have a tough time believing they are not, in fact, "real." Though the title character in Strout's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Olive Kitteridge has long been a fan favorite, now her readers must make room in their hearts for the heroine of My Name is Lucy Barton. In Strout's newest novel, Lucy is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Then, her long-estranged mother comes to see her. Gentle gossip about people from Lucy's childhood seems to reconnect them ... but just below the surface lie longstanding tensions. The best-selling author sits down with fellow writer Kelly Corrigan (Glitter and Glue) for a revealing conversation at Kepler's Books.