Stories
"Pharmacy"
The first story centers on Henry Kitteridge, the pharmacist of the town of Crosby and husband of Olive, and his relationship with an employee, Denise Thibodeau. Henry daydreams of taking care of Denise after the death of her husband, though he still loves his cantankerous wife Olive. Jerry McCarthy, the delivery boy, eventually proposes to Denise and the couple move to Texas. Denise maintains contact with Henry through a yearly birthday letter.
"Incoming Tide"
Kevin Coulson returns to Crosby where he grew up, planning to go to his childhood home and die by suicide. While sitting in his car he is approached by Olive Kitteridge, his former math teacher, who enters his car and speaks to him frankly about his mother's suicide years before and her own father's suicide. Kevin decides not to go through with his plan. Olive notices that a former classmate of Kevin's, Patty Howe, has fallen into the dock, and Kevin rescues her.
"The Piano Player"
Angela O'Meara, now in her 50s, has played the piano in the cocktail lounge at the Warehouse Bar and Grill for many years. Her co-workers include Joe, the bartender, and Betty, a waitress.
Angela lives in a rented room on Wood street and does not own a car. She walks to a grocery store and to the Warehouse. Angela has been involved with Malcolm Moody, the town of Crosby's first selectman, for over twenty years. Malcolm is married and has children.
On a Friday night, a week before Christmas, Angela arrives at her usual time of 6pm. Angela suffers from stage fright and began drinking vodka at five fifteen before she left. Due to her stage fright, Angela never takes her twenty-minute break when playing.
Walter Dalton, a former college professor, is an alcoholic. Walter is at the Warehouse every night that Angela is playing. Walter brings Angela presents and buys her drinks. Malcolm does not like Walter and has made unkind comments about Walter to Angela.
Simon, on old boyfriend, comes into the Warehouse. Simon used to play the piano at the Warehouse and is now a real estate lawyer in Boston. Simon tells Angela he is married and has three grown children. Simon begins to leave but returns to tell Angela about an encounter he had with her mother in Boston. Simon tells Angela he has pitied her for many years and then leaves.
On this evening, feeling out of sorts, Angela does something she had never done and takes a break. Angela borrows change from Walter and uses a pay phone to call Malcolm at his home number. When Malcolm answers the phone, Angela tells him she cannot see him anymore.
On her way home, Angela is surprised by Malcolm outside the house where she lives. Malcolm curses at Angela for calling him at home and calls her a drunk. As he walks away, Malcolm tells Angela to call him at is work when she is sober.
Angela sits on the stairs of the house where she lives and decides she will not call Malcolm. Angela realizes that she is like other people and that people are kind, people such as Joe and Walter.
"A Little Burst"
Olive's only child, Christopher, finally marries at the age of 38. Olive finds the wedding overwhelming since, in her mind, she is very close to Chris. She overhears his new bride, Sue, making fun of the dress Olive is wearing, and implying that Olive is difficult. Infuriated, Olive steals and damages some of Sue's clothes, giving her a little burst of happiness of the kind Olive depends on to make her life worth living.
"Starving"
Harmon, who runs the local hardware store, begins an affair with the widow Daisy Foster after his wife, Bonnie, informs him she is no longer interested in sex. Harmon observes Tim Burnham and his girlfriend Nina and is intrigued by their loose attitudes towards drugs and sex. When Tim leaves Nina, she goes to Daisy for help and reveals she suffers from anorexia. Olive Kitteridge, Harmon and Daisy all try to help Nina, but she eventually suffers a relapse and dies. These events cause Harmon to realize he is in love with Daisy and he rents Tim and Nina's former home, in preparation for leaving Bonnie.
"A Different Road"
Olive reflects on an occasion when she stopped at a small hospital emergency room to use their bathroom. Despite not feeling ill, she was persuaded to have an examination. The delay meant that Olive and Henry were there when two young men invaded the hospital looking for drugs. Held hostage alongside the nurse and the doctor, Henry and Olive began quarreling, with Olive disparaging Henry's mother and Henry taking the nurse's side when Olive rebuked her for praying. After their rescue, tensions remain between the couple and Olive reflects how their relationship has been affected by their experiences at the hospital.
"Winter Concert"
Bob Houlton is 75 years old. His wife Jane, is 72, and used to work as a school nurse. One evening Bob and Jane attend a Christmas concert at St. Catherine church. At intermission, Bob and Jane talk with Allan and Donna Granger. Donna Granger mentions seeing Bob at the airport in Miami.
Returning to their seats, Jane asks Bob about being in Miami. Bob says Donna must have confused Miami with Orlando, where he had gone on a business trip. Jane indicates to Bob she would like to leave the concert. In the car on the way home, Jane tells Bob she hates Donna Granger. Jane tells Bob her opinion of Donna as a parent, especially to her two daughters.
After more questioning from Jane, Bob admits he was in Miami. Bob tells Jane that during a business trip to Orlando, he went to Miami to see a woman from his past. Bob says the individual contacted him and told him she had breast cancer. Jane is hurt by the revelation. Bob tells Jane he made a mistake, and he did not enjoy the visit. Bob tells Jane he has not spoken to the person since and does not know if she is alive. Jane tells Bob she does not want to talk about the person again and Bob agrees. Jane tells Bob she wants to sit on the couch before going to bed. Bob sits with Jane and falls asleep. Bob awakes with a startle and Jane asks him if he was dreaming. Bob tells Jane he dreamt the concert hall roof fell in. Jane comforts Bob and reflects on their time together.
"Tulips"
Olive's son Chris and his new wife have moved to California. After a year, Chris announces that they are divorcing but he will be staying in California. Olive and Henry try to adjust to retired life, but Henry suffers a stroke which leaves him unresponsive, forcing him to move to a care home. Olive finds herself contemplating suicide now that she lives alone. After receiving a condolence note, Olive goes to visit Louise Larkin. Louise and her husband have become shut-ins after their son Doyle committed murder. Louise talks about suicide with Olive and mocks her for lying to make her life appear better than it is. Shortly after visiting Henry, Olive gives him "permission" to die but he continues to live.
"Basket of Trips"
Olive helps set up the wake of Ed Bonney, something Henry would have done were he well. During the wake, Kerry Monroe, the cousin of Ed's widow Marlene, becomes intoxicated and makes a scene. Olive later finds Marlene with Kerry, who has passed out. Marlene confesses to Olive that, since Ed died, Kerry has confessed to having previously had an affair with him. She asks Olive to dispose of a basket filled with pamphlets for vacation packages which Marlene now feels unable to look at.
"Ship in a Bottle"
Winnie's sister Julie is left at the altar by her fiancé Bruce, who tells her he wants to continue dating, but does not want to get married. Julie's mother Anita threatens to kill Bruce and disown Julie if she continues her relationship with him after he left her at the altar. Nevertheless, Julie leaves on a bus to go to Bruce in Boston. Anita finds a note Julie wrote to Winnie asking her to stop her parents finding out and Winnie realizes that something between her and her mother is now broken.
"Security"
Chris has married a second time and is now living in New York City. He asks Olive to visit and she goes, realizing that Chris's invitation is only a way to get her to help out with his two young stepchildren. Olive dislikes Chris's new wife Ann, who smokes and drinks while pregnant, but does her best to help out. After an incident during a trip to get ice cream, Olive tells Chris she wants to leave and they quarrel. Olive leaves New York City and goes home early with neither her son nor daughter-in-law taking her to the airport.
"Criminal"
Rebecca Brown's grandfather, Reverend Tyler Caskey, was a Congregationalist minister. Rev. Caskey's first wife died and left him with two small girls. Rev. Caskey remarried and had Rebecca's mother. Rebecca's mother married a minister, Reverend Brown. Rebecca's mother left her husband to go to California to become an actress.
Rebecca's father did not remarry. Rebacca's mother occasionally sent her postcards from California. Rebecca sent many letters to her mother at the last address she had for her. Rebecca's father had a rule, no talking at the dinner table. She and her father had their meals in silence. After her father died, Rebecca developed an almost compulsive urge to talk.
Rebecca graduated from high school and attended a university two hours away. When asked about her mother, Rebecca would say her mother had "passed away". Rebecca fell in love with a fellow student, Jace Burke. Jace was a piano player. He left the university and played at bars in Boston. On weekends, Rebecca would take a bus and stay with Jace at his apartment. Jace broke up with Rebecca when he met another woman.
One day at her doctor's office, Rebecca took a magazine from the waiting room. There was a story in the magazine that Rebecca wanted to finish. The story was about a man who came home for lunch every day and sat at the kitchen table talking with his wife. The wife was not satisfied with her life and at the end of the story left her husband. The man stopped coming home for lunch. Rebecca takes the pages with the story out of the magazine and burns the pages in the kitchen sink.
During another visit to her doctor's office, Rebecca looks for something to steal. She saw a small glass vase on the windowsill. During the office visit, Rebacca's doctor tells her all diagnostic tests were negative, and he did not know the source of her stomach pain. The doctor suggested that Rebecca has a sensitive stomach. On her way out of the doctor's office, Rebecca places the vase in her knapsack and leaves.
Rebecca lives with her boyfriend David who runs a health club. Their apartment is across the street from a bar. Rebecca observes the activity taking place in the parking lot of the bar, including visits by the police. Rebecca is looking for a job and has an interview for a dental assistant position. Rebecca does not get the job and tells Davis it may have been because she talked too much. Rebecca does get a job typing traffic reports for an agency that studies traffic flow in different cities.
One night Rebecca looks out the kitchen window and sees three police cars in the parking lot of the bar. Rebecca sees two policemen escort a man out of the bar, read him his rights, and place him in back of a police care. Rebecca sits in her kitchen and thinks about how long it would take her to walk to her doctor's office. Rebecca places lighter fluid, the post cards from her mother, and a shirt she bought for David in her knapsack. She puts two cigarette lighters in her coat pocket and walks out of her apartment
"River"
After Henry's death, Olive meets widower Jack Kennison, a retired professor, after she finds him having fainted on a walking path. Olive and Jack build up a friendship that blossoms into romance despite their different political beliefs. Olive begins a new relationship with him realizing she has found a reason to live again.
