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I just finished reading the amazing novel Loved and Missed<\/a> by Susie Boyt, which I think you guys would love, if you haven\u2019t already read it\u2026<\/p>\n The story follows Ruth, an English schoolteacher, whose daughter struggles so desperately with addiction that Ruth has stepped in to raise her granddaughter. You\u2019re right inside Ruth\u2019s mind \u2014\u00a0hearing her hopes, her fears, her everyday musings \u2014 in the same way that Elizabeth Strout\u2019s novels<\/a> drop you into someone\u2019s brain.<\/p>\n Ruth\u2019s inner monologue is\u00a0funny and frank. On an annoying friend of a friend? \u201cShe was a low-level irritant, a gnat with inflated ideas about itself, a football team I would not wear the scarf of even if caught in a freak blizzard.\u201d On growing up quickly? \u201cWhen did I learn the more you wanted from people, the less they gave? Early on.\u201d On finding joy? \u201cShe said it was important as you got older to take pleasure seriously. \u2018You must grab it by the lapels,\u2019 she said, \u2018hail it like a taxi.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019s also always trying to tamp down histrionics. She reminds me very much of my English dad<\/a> and his stiff upper lip. For example, here\u2019s a scene where she and her granddaughter are dealing with a staggering amount of stress, but she allows herself only a moment, even inside her own mind<\/em>, of real upset and self-validation:<\/p>\n The other characters are similarly resolute. When her best friend Jean\u2019s doctor recommends anti-depressants, here\u2019s Jean\u2019s response:<\/p>\n (For the record, I swear by my medication<\/a>!)<\/em><\/p>\n I loved how the book really nails that British ethos of getting-on-with-it \u2014 and how it can both help and hinder. During an ongoing crisis, of course, it can make sense to stay calm and focus on practical solutions, but at some point, you do need to face your emotions in order to process and learn from them. I remember my therapist, during my divorce<\/a>, asking me to please stop saying \u201conwards and upwards\u201d every time I shared a sad anecdote. \u201cDon\u2019t move away from your feelings and grief,\u201d she urged. \u201cInstead, turn around and run through the storm<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, however tightly the characters hold their emotions in check, their humanity comes barreling through. This moment took my breath away:<\/p>\n How incredible is that? And, for anyone who has lost someone special, don\u2019t you agree?<\/p>\n I gobbled up every moment and would highly recommend if you want something to pull you right out of a reading slump. <\/p>\n Lastly, for comic relief, here\u2019s a reel of British people saying no:<\/p>\n Have you read this book? What else have you been reading lately? And have you read any other books that captured a certain cultural sensibility?<\/strong><\/p>\n P.S. All our book recs in one place<\/a>, and two questions: What would be the title of your memoir<\/a>? And what\u2019s a beautiful sentence you\u2019ve read<\/a>?<\/p>\n![\"loved](\"https:\/\/cupofjo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-13-at-11.42.58-AM.jpg\")
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