.png)
Ivy Cooper is 52 years old, newly divorced and raising her young son alone in a New York City apartment. She is surviving financially with freelance magazine and book editing jobs. Ivy is coping with the news that her ex-husband is living on their New England farm with someone else. When she meets Ansel Fleming at a dinner with friends, her life changes dramatically.
Ansel Fleming is 20 years younger than Ivy. He is recently out of jail after spending seven years incarcerated in prison for a drug offense. He is a musician quickly gaining fame through his videos and club performances when Ivy meets him.
Ivy is obsessed with Ansel. He’s all she can think of and when they begin seeing each other sporadically, she finally feels her life is worth living. He, however, takes her for granted and only calls her once every few weeks. Their assignations occur only at her apartment or his. They see each other when her son is at school or when she can get a babysitter. Sometimes he comes around when her son is in bed for the night. Her life revolves around him even though she seems to be an afterthought for him.
Ivy’s all-consuming passion makes her wonder what her life would be like if she were younger, if she had never married, if she didn’t have a child. Nothing in her life makes her feel as alive as when she is with Ansel. She takes care of her son and loves him, but is grateful when he is old enough for sleepovers so she can spend time with Ansel if he is available. Often, he doesn’t respond to her texts.
Ivy’s background is revealed through flashbacks of her early marriage up to her divorce. During the years of her misguided but obsessive feelings toward Ansel, her friends urge her to seek a partner who will love her back. They also comment on the inappropriate age gap between her and Ansel. Ivy knows that if she were involved with a man 20 years her senior, no one would deem it odd. She ignores her friends to the point of ignoring life-changing events in their lives.
When a traumatic event occurs, Ivy comes to grips with her role as a mother and provider. It remains unclear if she can ever move on to anyone else who certainly couldn’t hold a candle to Ansel. The most lovable character in this novel is Ivy’s son Nicky.
The author delves into emotions and desire realistically and poetically. “Don’t Be a Stranger” is a novel of introspection and an exploration of feelings beyond explanation.
Minot is an award-winning novelist and short story writer. One of her books, “Evening,” was made into a movie starring Vanessa Redgrave and Meryl Streep.
