The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout inspires a fierce loyalty in her readers unmatched by all but a very few others in the literary world. Her books are not long but they remain with you long after you have finished reading, probably due to them being theme rather than plot driven – themes explored by ordinary characters in small towns that remind us of our own ordinariness while we grapple with the same themes in our own lives. This is Strout’s genius.
Arriving in May is Strout’s new book, ‘The Things We Never Say’. She introduces a new character, Artie Dam, an almost retired high school history teacher. Artie has reached a time in his life where the hard work is done, he should be anticipating a happy, relaxed, secure retirement. Or so say all his friends and family. But it doesn’t feel like that for Artie. He still has big questions about life and how it is lived. These questions are thrown into high relief by a revelation he did not see coming and now has to decide what to do with the information.
This is classic Strout. It is in the silences and the things left unsaid where the power of her writing lies, the almost desperate desire for connection between people that is distracted and derailed by the gaps and hesitations and decisions not to speak. Artie is not necessarily likeable; he is not a character you are cheering on towards some happy ending. But he is the newest vessel for, as The Guardian once observed, …” Strout’s rare gift for uncovering the profound in the quotidian”.
Strout fans rejoice, she is back!
Available from your local bookshop.
