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The Things We Never Say
Not yet published
Expected 5 May 26Pulitzer Prize–winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Strout’s new novel tells the story of a chance incident that sparks a powerful realization in a beloved teacher’s life—a poignant meditation on loneliness, friendship, parenthood, and the importance of truth in a capsizing world.
Artie Dam is living a double life. He spends his days teaching history to eleventh graders, 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 neighbors, 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 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.
Elizabeth Strout, as we have come to expect, delivers a moving exploration of the human condition—one that brims with compassion for each and every one of her indelible characters. With exquisite prose and profound insight, The Things We Never Say takes one man’s fears and loneliness and makes them universal. And in the same breath, captures the abiding love that sustains and holds us all.
Artie Dam is living a double life. He spends his days teaching history to eleventh graders, 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 neighbors, 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 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.
Elizabeth Strout, as we have come to expect, delivers a moving exploration of the human condition—one that brims with compassion for each and every one of her indelible characters. With exquisite prose and profound insight, The Things We Never Say takes one man’s fears and loneliness and makes them universal. And in the same breath, captures the abiding love that sustains and holds us all.
224 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 5, 2026
1 person is currently reading
2360 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Strout
48 books16k followersElizabeth Strout is the author of several novels, including: Abide with Me, a national bestseller and BookSense pick, and Amy and Isabelle, which won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize, and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize in England. In 2009 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her book Olive Kitteridge. Her short stories have been published in a number of magazines, including The New Yorker. She teaches at the Master of Fine Arts program at Queens University of Charlotte.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Want to read
December 28, 2025I was so excited to see this new title on NetGalley! I love Elizabeth Strout! I'd read her grocery list if they published it, honest!
Want to read
October 12, 2025I just heard this book is coming out next year, May 2026. I have been meaning to read Elizabeth Strout’s books for a long time. Maybe, start with this One. Definitely, interested.
November 16, 2025
So lovely and wonderful. Love Strout’s writing and loved loved Artie!!!
November 17, 2025
I have always loved Elizabeth Strout’s writing for the way she captures the human condition with such clarity and compassion. Her books are consistently thought-provoking and remarkably perceptive about what it means to be human. This one was especially beautiful. It felt as though she had been quietly observing all of us over the past several years, taking notes and then shaping those insights into the story. It is timely, deeply emotional, and profoundly relatable. It is obvious she is the master of the human condition, and I look forward to many more books by this author.
December 20, 2025
Wow. I’m not going to be able to stop talking about this book!
I loved the message and the story and the characters! We don’t ever truly know the full extent of people’s lives and stories and why they are the way that they are. Our perception is only what they want us to see. I love the people that Artie found comfort in. Anne, his son Rob, his girlfriend and his best friend Ken. 🥹 Artie’s wife really made me mad and her character drove me nuts but I think she drove Artie nuts too. 😂
I love Artie and his students that he impacted so much! This was full of so much real life and there were times I was in tears. I can’t wait until this book comes out so I can yap about it more!
I loved the message and the story and the characters! We don’t ever truly know the full extent of people’s lives and stories and why they are the way that they are. Our perception is only what they want us to see. I love the people that Artie found comfort in. Anne, his son Rob, his girlfriend and his best friend Ken. 🥹 Artie’s wife really made me mad and her character drove me nuts but I think she drove Artie nuts too. 😂
I love Artie and his students that he impacted so much! This was full of so much real life and there were times I was in tears. I can’t wait until this book comes out so I can yap about it more!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Artie Dam is a seemingly uncomplicated, not-too-smart guy who always wears white socks, which drives his wife crazy. As each vignette peels back, the reader can't help but love and respect this man for the quiet good he does, changing the trajectory of many almost doomed lives. But there are also few times when someone else returns the favor. A profoundly moving book about the things we never say.
This novel crept up on me, with its seemingly uncomplicated style, but when I finally turned the last page, it was like saying goodbye to a dear friend. Loved every minute of reading this book.
This novel crept up on me, with its seemingly uncomplicated style, but when I finally turned the last page, it was like saying goodbye to a dear friend. Loved every minute of reading this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I have fallen in love with Strout’s writing and her characters. I wish she would leave politics out of her books. Sometimes it isn’t horribly noticeable, but there is too much time spent on pushing her agenda IMO.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews