Books: “The Things We Never Say” by Elizabeth Strout
Artie Dam, the protagonist of Elizabeth Strout’s novel “The Things We Never Say” is a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. A fifty-something history teacher in small-town Massachusetts, he loves and respect his high school juniors deeply, and they love and respect him back.
Artie, or “Damn-Dam” as they call him teasingly, is the kind of creative teacher you’ll remember forever. To help his students better understand the Civil War, for example, he has each of them assume the role of a Union soldier or a nurse, then write letters home from the front.
Yet Artie’s self-confidence masks a serious case of the sads. His son Ron has confided a secret that Artie can’t bring himself to tell Evie, his wife. The pandemic has filled his students with anxiety, and their parents now want Artie to teach “both sides” of the Civil War. The upcoming 2024 presidential election is adding a level of stress he’d hoped had long disappeared. In short, Mr. Happy isn’t so happy anymore.
Strout’s engaging, gentle narrative offers us a portrait of a man you want to befriend rather than pity. Those familiar with the author’s other characters (e.g., Olive Kitteridge or Lucy Barton) will recognize her skill at writing small-town New Englanders and uncovering their private demons.
Someday, visitors from another universe may arrive on our planet and want to know what everyday Americans thought about life in the 21st century. I hope that they understand English sufficiently to read a novel like this one. Bravo.
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