The Things We Never Say

[Elizabeth Strout is] one of those writers whose books you almost need to sidle up to. You know there will be universal truths, biting humour and you will likely get your heart wrung out in ways you didn’t think possible. The Things We Never Say hits all those beats and more... This is a story of small actions and big impacts

Stylist

[Elizabeth Strout’s] 11th novel might well be the first great work of fiction about Trump’s presidency…This is a deeply existential novel, preoccupied with secrecy, loneliness and the limits of understanding. Strout is brilliant at uncovering what goes on beneath the surface of ordinary life…There is nothing showy about Strout’s prose, but over the past two decades her novels have become an ambitious literary project, a kind of interconnected anatomy of American solitude

The Times

A damning portrait of an ideologically lost America, and a brutal novel about the loneliness at the heart of every life

Daily Mail

A gentle and beautifully written story…Like all her work, The Things We Never Say is a compassionate and insightful novel about human connection

My Weekly

A meditation on the unspoken fears that define us and the abiding love that, despite everything, manages to sustain us

The Mirror

A moving, tender and wise novel about a committed teacher who is utterly confounded by the emotional complexities of daily life. This might be Elizabeth Strout’s best yet

Clare Chambers

A tale of secrets and self-determination

Mail on Sunday

A titan of character-driven fiction…he novel is a meditation on the unspoken fears that define us and the abiding love that, despite everything, manages to sustain us

The Mirror

An epic novel distilled into 200 pages...The Pulitzer Prize winning author’s first standalone novel in over a decade is a balm for the soul. It introduces us to the terrific character of Artie Dam, a history teacher and husband who is far lonelier than he lets on, just as the revelation of a secret upends his life

iPaper

Elizabeth Strout can truly do no wrong in my eyes…If you loved the movie The Holdovers, then you're going to adore this masterpiece of literary fiction

Her

Elizabeth Strout writes extraordinary fiction about ordinary people...Strout’s gift is to reveal their frustrations and epiphanies in stories that are deceptively simple yet carry a profound emotional charge

The Telegraph

Having created some of the most iconic characters in modern literature, it’s no surprise that Pulitzer-winning author Elizabeth Strout has hit the right note yet again in her latest novel, The Things We Never Say…The rich storytelling has a profound effect, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this novel was awarded many literary prizes in the year ahead

Buzz Magazine

I was torn between wanting to devour it in a single sitting and slowly savouring its brilliance. Strout writes about some of the darkest, saddest things with such grace and humanity that you're left still feeling optimistic about the world. The Things We Never Say is utterly captivating in the classic Stroutian understated way. No one else delves into the intricacies of everyday life with such searing insight and honesty. If stranded on a desert island, The Complete Works of Strout, would unequivocally be my book of choice to remind me of the complexity and ultimate goodness of people.

Roxy Dunn

One of the best novels I have read. I am so stunned by it, how moving and beautiful and perfect it is

Anna Funder

One of the most profoundly moving books I have read - I envy anyone reading it for the first time. Elizabeth Strout is one of those rare novelists whose books leave you a little wiser, open and more compassionate than you were when you began reading. Emotionally stunning, devastatingly wise, a beautiful read. Her best novel yet

Rachel Joyce

One of this year’s most anticipated new books is out now, Elizabeth Strout’s The Things We Never Say – and it doesn’t disappoint…Artie's generous spirit and nagging self-doubt make him as endearing a literary figure as Lucy Barton or Olive K. You won't want to put it down

Country & Townhouse

Readers will delight in the discovery of this new fictional world around Artie Dam, and the possibilities that lie ahead...Let’s hope that this fine author continues steadily along her path, delivering unto her loyal readers story upon story, gift upon gift

The Guardian

She writes so precisely, and she can say in 180 pages what a lot of novelists take hundreds and hundreds of pages to say

Radio 4 Front Row

Strout is always smart, always perceptive, and Artie is a memorable figure

Harper's Bazaar

Strout's superpower is reminding readers that there is no such thing as an ordinary person. Everyone is battling something, even if we don't broadcast it. Writing about the inner lives and struggles of small-town characters – the affairs, deaths, illnesses and suicidal thoughts that plague many of us –gives her stories a remarkable unifying quality

The Spectator

Strout's superpower is reminding readers that there is no such thing as an ordinary person. Everyone is battling something, even if we don't broadcast it. Writing about the inner lives and struggles of small-town characters – the affairs, deaths, illnesses and suicidal thoughts that plague many of us –gives her stories a remarkable unifying quality

Offaly Independent

Tender, wise and beautifully observed, this moving novel explores grief, friendship and the mystery of how little we truly know one another, even those we love most deeply

The Kilkenny Observer

This is a profound, resplendent novel that stares our present moment in the face while throwing a lifeboat to cling to in the storm. And Artie Dam is someone you may never be able to forget, not least for his white socks and how they irritate his wife — these are the things we remember, which Strout, a titan of the most intricate storytelling, understands well.

Financial Times

This moving novel captures the quiet ways one person can change lives. Tender and perceptive, it’s a poignant reminder that even the most ordinary lives hold extraordinary emotional depths

Woman & Home