Elizabeth Strout
Fiction 2024 / 326 pages
I saw this cool graphic on the Oprah website, identifying the number of characters in Elizabeth Strout books. The highest number of characters is in Tell Me Everything. Twenty-three characters. Be prepared! The descriptions about the book tell us it is about "unrecorded lives." This is an apt description. It is a panoply of stories from people living in Crosby Maine. And the stories are interesting, even though these are everyday people. But/and I have an image of a peg board. The stories are hung on the peg board like a bunch of tools, or more accurately, pieces of fabric. Sometimes they overlap, sometimes they stand on their own.
Except of course for our main story ... the life of Bob Burgess. Bob is the 65-year-old defense attorney who is trying to find out how Delores Beach, also known by the unattractive name of "Bitch Ball" came to be found dead. Bob, who is married to Margaret, also has a burgeoning relationship with Lucy, who is living with her ex-husband William. Bob and Lucy meet once a week for a talk and a walk, and I frankly grew real tired of how Strout, at the end of each of these meetings, talks about how Bob feels seen and listened to by Lucy. The author kind of drives this point into the ground. Clearly Bob is falling in love with Lucy.
And, of all the "unrecorded lives" in this book, Bob's life is the centerpiece. It is his mind and heart we come to know, not only as he defends Matt, Delores Beach's son, but his he brings Matt back to life, how he copes with his brother’s wife Helen dying, how he helps his brother heal his relationships with his children, his strong intuition, his ability to care for and about other people’s children (though he has none of his own), his support and forgiveness for his alcoholic ex-wife Pam … and on and on. His character is somewhat implausible. Everyone loves him, he is a helper with a big heart.
So, do I recommend this book? It is fun, pleasant, rewarding. A little too saccharin for me, but it might keep you warm on a winter’s weekend.
February 2025