Becky's Great Book Reviews The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout's The Things We Never Say is a contemplative, stirring novel. Told with Strout's concise writing style and real-seeming personae, this new one is just as readable as all Strout's other works. With one caveat: be ready for strong political opinions to make themselves clear through the lenses of the characters.

Artie is depressed. With his grown son contemplating leaving his wife; a good friend of his moving away; and his view of our country going into the toilet with the current administration, Artie is quietly thinking of ways to end his own life. A near-drowning experience off his own sailboat shakes Artie out of the reverie, even as he learns a devastating secret relating to his wife and son.

The narrative takes its shape through Artie's students in his high school classes and his relationships with his family members and friends. At one point Artie is shocked to learn that a good friend of his holds an opposite political view from his, even though the friend is a wonderful man and "not evil". This illustrates the state of our country and why (as Artie points out) no one can talk about politics if one doesn't know "which side" the person you're talking to is on. Perhaps this is why Elizabeth Strout makes the current political landscape such a strong theme.

At one point in the novel Artie has this thought: "Every single person holds within themselves a vast, unknowable universe". It IS what is inside the characters that drive Strout's novels, rather than plot. This makes for a fascinating and compelling novel, like all of Elizabeth Strout's. Her books always go to the top of my TBR stack. However, because of the pervasive political commentary, which does get wearying, this blogger will say that The Things We Never Say gets a "Read" rating (rather than a Should Read or a Must Read).