In the Things We Never Say, Elizabeth Strout does not disappoint. Focused on the lives of Artie Dam, a teacher, along with his wife and son, Strout leads the reader through their significant life events. Set in New England, during the era of our most recent presidential election, characters are wary of what the future holds. But for Artie, in his late 50s, the past is also an obsession. Friends are dying, his son is having challenges, not recovering from an auto accident that killed his girlfriend, and his wife is distant. While Artie finds comfort in teaching his students and visiting with friends, everything changes when he learns his son is not biologically his. The son reveals that his father is a recently passed family friend who had an affair with Artie’s wife. Father and son bond over this secret, one that Artie takes to his grave and never mentions to his wife. But he leaves a piece of paper for her to find after his death. The melancholy tone of this book explores how people move through their lives and, of course, explores what they never say to each other. Strout also nails the unsettled personal relationships and unresolved issues that many of us carry, and sometimes obsess over in silence, until we die. In this story, the characters also discuss Jung’s philosophy about what men, in particular, can and will say out loud versus what they think about. The brilliant character exploration is tempered by the bleak and thoughtful story line — and as always, Strout gives us exquisite writing.