One of my favorite literary devices is when an author creates a series of stories (or even novels) that stand alone yet offhandedly reference a character, incident or place from another story. For me, it creates the same sense of magic as realizing that you and a friend have a shared acquaintance that you each met in an entirely different context. This is exactly what Elizabeth Strout has done in this book, which - when combined with her eye for telling details and ear for real dialogue - is precisely her brand of magic.