The Things We Never Say Audiobook Review: Beautiful Prose, Bleak World
Strout is undeniably skilled, but her portrayal of quiet disconnection as the human experience will feel true to some and relentlessly bleak to others.
My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5 stars: Great)
- Author: Elizabeth Strout
- Category: Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
- Published: 2026
- Runtime: 6.5 hours
I’ve read a couple Elizabeth Strout books, and they’re just not for me. That’s not to say they’re bad; it’s just that different people have different tastes. She is enormously popular, critically beloved, longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. Probably people would read her grocery list. I can appreciate her craft. The prose is controlled, subtle, always intentional. I think perhaps some people feel seen and recognized in the quietly bleak world she portrays. But for me, I finish each book feeling sad about the state of the world.
The Things We Never Say is her eleventh novel and her first to step entirely outside the Maine-based world of Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton. Artie Dam is 57, a high school history teacher in a small Massachusetts coastal town, a decent man with decent friends and a marriage that is silently fraying. The novel opens with a chance incident that pulls Artie into a kind of reckoning with his family, his loneliness, and the recent presidential election, which casts a long shadow over much of the book.
Here’s what I keep coming back to with Strout: her books are full of what I’d call failed bids for connection. Have you heard about this concept of “bids for attention” in relationship advice? A character reaches toward another, for attention, for acknowledgment, for comfort, and the reach goes unanswered. Or it’s answered badly. And then everyone just moves on to the next trivial moment of everyday sadness. However beautiful the writing, it’s just not a version of the world that I want to spend time in.
The comparison I keep coming back to is Anne Tyler, who covers similar territory (ordinary lives, unremarkable events) but with a kind of human warmth and even humor that Strout doesn’t reach for. Three Days in June in particular has that quality: everyday and even a little bleak in places, but generous toward its characters in a way that Strout’s books simply aren’t. Olive Kitteridge is probably Strout’s most balanced book, because at least there the title character is prickly enough to be funny. The Things We Never Say doesn’t have that counterweight. I also think of The Correspondent, which covers a similarly reflective emotional register but left me feeling reflective rather than depleted, or even Whistler, about a reunion of long-lost friends with a quietly glowing warmth.
The Things We Never Say is available on Audible and Libro.fm, and it’s a quick listen if you want something for a plane flight or day trip. (affiliate links)
The Audiobook Experience
★★★★☆
Robert Petkoff narrates, and he’s a solid match for the material, measured and understated. The collage-like structure of short passages and brief scenes translates well to audio.
Typical fiction multitasking works fine here.
Audio or print? Either works. Nothing about this is specifically better on audio, but the short runtime (6.5 hours) makes it an easy listen if you’re already an audiobook person.
Read It or Skip It?
Read it if: you’ve loved Strout’s previous work and want more of the same; or you’re drawn to quiet, introspective literary fiction; or you’re comfortable with books that depict human disconnection as the state of the world.
Skip it if: you want warmth or emotional generosity from your fiction; or you need plot momentum to stay engaged; or political commentary woven into literary fiction isn’t your thing.
Related: The Correspondent for quiet, reflective literary fiction that explores relationships both good and bad. Whistler by Ann Patchett for a relationship-story filled with warmth and grace. Three Days in June by Anne Tyler for a similar emotional register with more human warmth.
Book Club Guide
The Things We Never Say is a strong book club pick because it highlights what we think of modern human relationships. It’s ideal for groups who enjoy subtle, relationship-focused stories about everyday life.
- The novel frames Artie as a decent man surrounded by quiet failures of connection. Did you find him sympathetic? Where did you want him to show up differently?
- Strout threads the 2024 presidential election through the book almost as another character. Did that feel like a valuable story thread to you, or like an intrusion on the more personal story?
- The “failed bids for attention” dynamic (characters reaching toward each other and being met with indifference or deflection) appears throughout. Where did you feel it most sharply?
- If you’ve read Strout before, how did this compare? If this was your first, would you read another of hers?
- Did the ending feel appropriate to you, or did it feel at odds with the tone of everything before it?
Listen Now
I only recommend audiobooks and resources I’ve personally experienced. This post contains affiliate links — if you purchase through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
- 🎧 Audible — Start The Things We Never Say free with Audible’s trial
- 🎧 Libro.fm — Listen and support indie bookstores simultaneously
- 📖 Hardcover — The physical companion for your shelf
FAQ
Is The Things We Never Say worth reading?
It depends entirely on your perspective. If Strout’s earlier books like Olive Kitteridge or Lucy Barton resonated with you, this is a confident yes. If you’ve found her previous books cold or bleak, this one won’t change your mind. It’s very much of a piece with her other novels.
How does The Things We Never Say compare to Olive Kitteridge?
Olive Kitteridge is probably Strout’s most accessible book for skeptical readers since Olive herself is prickly and funny in a way that balances the darkness. The Things We Never Say is quieter and more introspective, without that counterweight. Strout fans tend to love both. Readers new to her may find Olive Kitteridge the more approachable starting point.
Who narrates The Things We Never Say audiobook?
Robert Petkoff narrates. He’s a reliable, understated narrator well-matched to Strout’s controlled prose.
Is The Things We Never Say better on audio or in print?
Either format works well. The 6.5-hour runtime makes it a comfortable audiobook commitment, but nothing is lost in print. Audio doesn’t add anything the text doesn’t already have.
Does The Things We Never Say deal with politics?
Yes. The 2024 presidential election runs through the novel as a backdrop to Artie’s personal turmoil. It’s woven into the story rather than foregrounded, but readers who prefer their fiction free of contemporary political content should know it’s there.
