Elizabeth Strout on The Things We Never Say

TIME published an April 28 interview with Elizabeth Strout centered on her new novel, *The Things We Never Say*, ahead of its May 5 release. (time.com) In TIME’s description, the book breaks from what the interview calls Strout’s familiar “Maineverse,” the network of interlocking characters that has defined much of her fiction. (time.com) TIME said Strout’s latest novel features “her second kleptomaniac character” and includes “some light shoplifting by Artie,” a detail Strout addressed directly in the interview. (time.com) Publisher materials describe the novel as a story about “one man’s fears and loneliness” that also tracks friendship, parenthood, and the pressure of secrets. Penguin Random House lists the publication date as May 5, 2026. (penguinrandomhouse.com) Kirkus reported in October 2025 that Strout said, “I turned a page and left Maine,” framing the book as a deliberate shift after years of Crosby and Lucy Barton novels. (kirkusreviews.com) That move comes after *Tell Me Everything*, the 2024 novel that brought together Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge, and Bob Burgess in Crosby, Maine. TIME included that book on its 100 Must-Read Books of 2024 list. (time.com) Strout remains best known to many readers for *Olive Kitteridge*, which won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and established the clipped, intimate style TIME again highlighted this week. (time.com) (thepulitzerprizes.com) Her official site says she returns in 2026 with *The Things We Never Say*, while event listings show a May 13 appearance at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, tied to the launch. (elizabethstrout.com) (themusichall.org) The interview leaves Strout in a familiar place: publishing a short spring novel, adding one sharp new character detail, and sending readers into release week with a date — May 5. (time.com) (penguinrandomhouse.com)