Booker-longlisted The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

I bought The Things We Never Say at the beautiful Mrs Blackwell's Village Bookshop in Te Hūpēnui Greytown on Sunday and spent the day reading it.

Then, a few days later the Booker Prize longlist was announced — and The Things We Never Say is on it! What wonderful news for readers who will be able to discover Elizabeth Strout’s work. The Things We Never Say is about suicidal ideation and has that poignant mix of authenticity and compassion, with a touch of humour. I am so grateful for this writer, whose work is so much about loneliness (and connection).

Here is the epigraph at the beginning of The Things We Never Say:

"Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible" — Jung

And — in case, like me, you are looking into having another read of Elizabeth Strout’s previous novels — here are her novels, in order of publication:

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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