Book Review: The Things We Never Say
When I finished reading this novel, I wanted to sit with it for a while before jumping into my next read. It was packed with memorable characters, a strong, forward-moving plot, and most importantly (in my opinion) observations of our current society that deserve our deep consideration.
Artie Dam is a high school history teacher who by all appearances seems to be a content, jovial man. But inside, his feelings of isolation have risen to a point that he no longer feels that he knows himself or anyone around him. One day, Artie learns that those closest to him have been keeping a secret that threatens to rock his already unsteady world. Learning this secret forces him to reconsider all of his relationships, including with the people closest to him.
This book wrestles with the isolation so many people feel in our world today. It is an issue I’ve personally been wrestling with for the last several years, as well. How can it be that in a world that is in some ways more connected than ever we seem to have lost the ability to connect with one another on a deeper level? It is almost as though we have learned to solely connect with one another’s avatars and the versions of us that we put out into the social media ether. (This last sentence is my own view, not the book’s. But I think Elizabeth Strout with agree with me after having read it.)
In reading other reviews of this book ahead of time, I read over and over again that Elizabeth Strout “takes aim” at our current administration and “holds nothing back” in her criticism of them. This is definitely true, and it makes a lot of sense within the narrative. I would argue that regardless of your politics, you will find something deep in this story that is worth your contemplation. I hope that those reviews don’t deter conservatives and/or Trump fans from reading it.
I highly recommend this book, especially for women looking out at the world and wondering what has happened to it. I also recommend it for women wanting to sit in something deep and contemplate what drives people apart and what holds them together. I really do believe that there is something in this book for everyone, but it is very much not a beach read. For some readers, it might be a better one to hold onto until the chaos of summer at home with kids is over. You decide. But either way, I hope you will read it.
Favorite Quote:
“And now he knew why [people don’t ever say anything real]. Because to say anything real was to say things that nobody wanted to know. Or if they wanted to know, they would not care in the right way. Or even understand.
It was a private thing, to be alive. He understood this now.”
Grab your copy here or at your local book store or library.
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