Tell Me Everything

Elizabeth Strout's writing style is straightforward and compelling – she draws the reader into the world of her novel. She is intensely interested in the muddled lives that people lead, and the ways in which people interact and influence each other – Lucy Barton, the novelist in the story, says that what interests her are, 'People and their lives,' and this is very much how Strout as a writer seems to feel.

I also loved the setting, in Maine during the Covid pandemic.

Is there a current writer with better psychological instincts into what makes people tick? Strout understands that everyone has a story, and she makes even the saddest matter. In her hands what’s heartbreaking can become heart mending. I love seeing characters from Strout’s former books pop up in subsequent ones. This happens in Tell Me Everything. Will you feel left out if you have not encountered them before? I have read all of her books, but not necessarily in the order they were written, which was not a problem. I think that’s especially true of this latest one—a brilliant tour… show more.

Strout makes her characters convincing with the smallest detail. The style is direct and transparent but the underlying structure is complex as she weaves these characters together. You could say nothing much happens in the way of plot, but the interactions and emotions draw you in irresistably.