Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

Tell Me Everything is a beautifully observed, quietly compelling novel that gathers some of Elizabeth Strout’s most-loved characters in the small town of Crosby, Maine. I hadn’t read her earlier books, so everyone here was new to me — yet it never lessened my enjoyment. While returning readers will no doubt catch deeper echoes, this works perfectly as a standalone. At its heart lies a simple but resonant question: what does anyone’s life mean? Through intertwined stories of love, loss, regret and hope, Strout reveals the extraordinary richness within ordinary lives — people shaped by longing, loneliness, and the weight of roads not taken. Her prose is deceptively simple - almost like having a chat with a good friend - yet full of emotional clarity. I quickly found myself caring deeply about what would happen to these characters.

Strout is a master of observation, skilfully capturing the often-surprising significance in small moments: a lingering glance, an overheard remark, a simple act of kindness. In a world where empathy frequently seems to be lacking, the novel invites us to consider the complexities of human connection; do we ever really know how our own lives affect the lives of others? And even as the novel explores some dark territory, it is threaded with moments of genuine compassion and hope.

If you enjoy novels that stay with you long after the last page, that cultivate empathy, and that bring vividly drawn characters to life, this is one to treasure. I finished it wanting to explore Strout’s earlier work to spend more time with these characters – and heartily recommend it whether you’re already a fan or, like me, discovering the storytelling powers of Elizabeth Strout for the first time.

Richard