The Things We Never Say - Elizabeth Strout

DESCRIPTION

Internationally bestselling and prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout's new novel tells the story of a chance incident in a man's life - a poignant meditation on loneliness, friendship, and free will in a capsizing world.

Artie Dam is a man with a secret. He spends his days teaching history to high schoolers, expanding their young minds, correcting their casual cruelties, and lending a kind word to those who need it most. He goes to holiday parties with his wife of three decades, makes small talk with neighbours, and, on weekends, takes his sailboat out on the beautiful Massachusetts Bay. He is, by all appearances, present and alive. But inside, Artie is plagued by feelings of isolation. He looks out at a world gone mad-at himself and the people around him-and turns a question over and over in his mind- how is it that we know so little about one another, even those closest to us?

And then, one day, Artie learns that life has been keeping a secret from him, one that threatens to upend his entire world. Once he learns it, he is forced to chart a new course, to reconsider the relationships he holds most dear-and to make peace with the mysteries at the heart of our existence.

With exquisite prose and profound insight, Elizabeth Strout captures the way grief reverberates through decades, the comfort found in deep friendships and the freedom that comes when we break free of our secrets. The Things We Never Say is a stunning new novel from one of our most acclaimed observers of the human heart.

REVIEW

Elizabeth Strout has this incredible knack for giving you a masterclass in human nature without needing a massive 500-page doorstop to do it. The Things We Never Say at around 300 pages carries more emotional weight than books twice its size.If you’ve read her Lucy Barton or Olive Kitteridge books, you already know she’s the queen of the unspoken.

This time, we're in coastal Massachusetts following Artie Dam, a high school history teacher who is just trying to keep his head above water while dealing with the slow-burn fallout of a massive family secret. What I love about Strout is that she doesn’t do "good guys" and "bad guys." Artie is frustrating, his family is messy, and everyone is carrying around an absolute mountain of unspoken resentment, basically, they feel like a real family.

It’s definitely a quiet book. If you’re looking for plot twists or rapid fire dialogue, this isn't it. It’s simple, beautifully written, and it lingers with you long after you close the book. Strout just proves yet again that you don't need a massive page count to tell a massive story.

Thanks to my local library for lending me this book. I am giving it 5 out of 5 stars.