Eliza is as unforgettable a character as Olive in Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again.

For readers of Elizabeth Strout and Anne Tyler, a life-affirming novel about marriage, friendship and the powerful dignity of a woman forced to rebuild her life - unexpectedly and alone - in 1960s Texas.

She made herself see Robert with the kids, telling stories of crafty, talking rabbits and determined turtles, his face bright with meanings, with silliness. Made herself see the two of them laughing together in bed, they had done that. That was true. Through the years, they'd had happiness and closeness. They had.

As Eliza sits at her husband's funeral, still stunned by the suddenness of his death, she discovers a lie that turns her life upside down. Almost overwhelmed by the dawning understanding that she has known nothing true about her life, Eliza can't see a way forward at first. How should she come to terms with all that has been a lie? How can she live with herself?

But Eliza has a core of resourceful steel that does not let her down and an innate emotional generosity that she clings to, faced with an almost overwhelming sense of bitterness. Signing up to business classes so she can make a living, she moves into a hotel, The Sweet Vidalia, filled with people facing their own challenges.

As she gathers new friends and new possibilities open up before her, Eliza finds it isn't so simple to leave the past behind.