Wherabouts, by Jhumpa Lahiri

An unnamed woman inhabits an unidentified city, clearly in Italy by its characteristics. She is a middle aged academic, long single, living a solitary life that is maybe a little lonely. Each short chapter is geographically located – on the sidewalk; on the street; in my office; at the trattoria; and so on. The reader sees the city and its inhabitants through her eyes, with beautifully lucid descriptions of people and place. Moving through the seasons she reflects on relationships with family, with friends and colleagues, the road not taken and possibilities for the future. The reader sits on her shoulder, experiencing the city and its people along with the woman in a manner that is strangely satisfying.