It might sound peculiar, the prospect of characters Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge intersecting, just as one would find it strange if Superman received a visit from Batman and Spider-Man. Yet, Elizabeth Strout’s universe, despite its humbly ordinary nature is intriguing and makes the interface between Lucy and Olive perfectly normal.
Elizabeth Strout’s latest book, “Tell Me Everything”, doesn’t require familiarity with her previous works or the histories of her reoccurring characters. The story is complete in itself. The story unfolds in Maine, introducing us to the semi-retired lawyer, Bob Burgess, who happens to be a recurring character in Strout’s works. Bob feels that his life does not warrant documentation, but the narrator begs to differ by stating “But he does; we all do”. The community’s divisions and empathy vacuum caused by the pandemic are highlighted. Bob finds himself facing a discomfort he hasn’t experienced before; this he discusses with Lucy Barton, his good friend. They converse in ways they couldn’t with their spouses and often say to each other, “Don’t think about it”, as they both tend to overanalyse.
The plot thickens when Gloria Beach, living with her son Matt, vanishes from her secluded home at the age of eighty-six. This leads to Bob getting involved in the ensuing murder inquiry. Lucy embarks on her own exploration, initially starting on a rocky note with Olive at her retirement home. Lucy finds Olive’s comment on her memoir as “somewhat self-indulgent” hard to swallow. The unanticipated friendship that ensues between Lucy and Olive focuses on shared tales about people they have encountered – some intimately, some casually – which Olive refers to as “unrecorded lives”. The narrative explores the failings of adults towards their children and the outcomes when those children grow up. Strout probes the question of why we narrate stories – is it to explain ourselves to others, or to understand our motivations? Perhaps the resolution lies in Lucy’s observation: “People always tell you who they are if you just listen.”
The engrossing and evocative narrative of this novel candidly and wittily dissects human emotions, demonstrating that resolving one complexity only unveils another. “People are mysteries,” as Lucy puts forth to Olive, “We are all such mysteries.”
This text was reviewed by author and critic Henrietta McKervey.