The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout. New York: Random House, 2026. 203 pages. *****
Fifty-seven years old Artie Dam is an eleventh-grade history teacher who connects with his students to educate them about the past and hope for the future. At the same time, he is questioning his life as a teacher, husband, father, and friend. His once idyllic life was changed forever by his son's car accident ten years earlier. During a particularly boring party, Artie asks the High School Principal, “Do you think there's any free will in this world?" Answers are as varied as the people responding and Artie soon realizes that people "never say anything real." All their conversations are on the surface and don't delve into their "real" situations or feelings. The decisions that are made affect every phase of life (be it political, a new principal, friend moving away, secrets uncovered, etc.) and Artie soon realizes that "I do not want to die, I just don't want to live."
I absolutely loved this book, read it in 1.5 days and identified with Artie's self-reflection. Reviews are mixed based on Strout's introduction of the current political theatre and decisions made which will affect the future. Strout's strength is in her character development. Artie and his wife, Evie, are an ordinary couple who go to work and do the best that they can every day while questioning, "what's real?" Artie strives to bring out the best in his students and to help them see it in themselves. His first day activity is brilliant and enables him to get to know the students on a deeper level throughout the school year. When Artie acts out of character and is caught, he appreciates the kindness shown to him and vows to pay it forward. There are many sub stories for discussion and to be experienced; this book is one that I will be thinking about and recommending for a while.
Elizabeth Strout is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Everything; Lucy by the Sea; Oh William!, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
Strout is married to former Maine Attorney General James Tierney, lecturer in law at Harvard Law School and founding director of State AG, an educational resource on the office of state attorney general. She divides her time between New York City and Brunswick, Maine. Strout's daughter Zarina Shea is a playwright.
Her novels include:
Amy and Isabelle (1998)
Abide with Me (2006)
Olive Kitteridge (2008)
The Burgess Boys (2013)
My Name Is Lucy Barton (2016)
Anything Is Possible (2017)
Olive, Again (2019)
Oh William! (2021)
Lucy by the Sea (2022)
Tell Me Everything (2024)
The Things We Never Say (2026)
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