"Tell Me Everything," by Elizabeth Strout

Last time (10/24/24) I wrote about how I (like most readers) watch out for new fiction by my favorite authors. One of the authors whose new writing I eagerly await is Elizabeth Strout. She has created a world of overlapping characters (e.g., Olive Kitteridge, Lucy Barton, Bob Burgess) in her various novels; very often a character from one book suddenly pops up in a subsequent book. The novels are set in Maine, and contain a fascinating variety of highly original, sometimes eccentric, and very recognizable characters (which, when you think about it, is a real feat). With each novel, the reader feels further and further drawn into the world of these characters in this geographical area. I was excited to read Strout's latest, "Tell Me Everything" (Random House, 2024), and it turned out to be, in my opinion, the best of her novels, and that is saying a lot. Strout's writing is always fresh, crisp, and often surprising. Even more than in the earlier novels, the portrayal of the characters in "Tell Me Everything," and of how they face the many facets of life, is utterly immersive and deeply humane. I highly recommend this absorbing, moving novel. -----------------