A novel within a novel, My Name is Lucy Barton chronicles not only the trauma that haunts Lucy Barton and her family but also Lucy’s development as an artist. Through Lucy, Strout illustrates an artist’s journey from self-conscious observer to ruthless creator. Lucy’s writing provides her a vehicle to transform her pain into portals of healing that free from her past.

Reading and writing captivate Lucy from a young age. The imaginary worlds she reads and writes help her escape from the cold, hungry, and isolated reality that traps her. Lucy declares that she always “knew I was a writer” (32). She pursues writing and is published, but it is not until she meets her neighbor Jeremy that she learns what it means to be a true artist. Jeremy is the first person to call Lucy an artist, but she struggles to accept this label and that “she had always been different” (49) from other people. Jeremy instructs Lucy to embrace her differences and “to be ruthless” (49). As Lucy navigates her complex relationship with her mother, she learns to follow Jeremy’s advice. She finds herself drawn to and connects with those who have suffered like her. Through her relationships with her doctor, Sarah, and Jeremy, Lucy confronts her own suffering.