New books: Perry and Elizabeth Strout

Two very different authors just arrived with new fiction, and that is the real story here. Philippa Perry — best known as a psychotherapist and relationship writer — has published her first novel, *Shrink Solves Murder*. Elizabeth Strout — already one of the biggest names in literary fiction — is back with *The Things We Never Say*, a compact new novel built around loneliness, secrecy, and grief. Both books are turning up in this week’s UK and Irish recommendation lists because they hit that sweet spot editors love in early May — recognizable names, but new angles. (con-telegraph.ie) ### Why are these two books getting grouped together? Because they are both “known author, new move” books. Perry is crossing from bestselling therapy writing into crime fiction, while Strout is stepping away from the Maine-linked world many readers associate with *Olive Kitteridge* and *Lucy Barton* and introducing a fresh cast on the Massachusetts coast. Tha(con-telegraph.ie)(thebookseller.com) ### What is Philippa Perry’s novel actually about? The hook is clean and commercial. A small-town psychotherapist, Patricia Phillips, starts investigating after a patient dies near Beachy Head and the death is treated as suicide. Perry’s angle is obvious but smart — the sleuth’s real tool is not forensics or police acce(thebookseller.com)ay 7, 2026. (penguin.co.uk) ### Why does Perry’s move matter? Because this is not a celebrity side project tossed into the market. Hutchinson Heinemann signed it last year as Perry’s debut novel, and the sales pitch from the start was that her psychotherapy background was the point, not just a branding accessory. Basically, the industry sees a built-in readership here — peopl(penguin.co.uk)avior. (thebookseller.com) ### What is Strout doing in her new book? Strout is doing what she usually does best — taking a seemingly ordinary life and making it emotionally huge. *The Things We Never Say* centers on Artie Dam, a 57-year-old history teacher, and follows fears, loneliness, buried trauma, and the pressure of unspoken truths. The book published this week, with UK publication on May 7 and U.S. publication on May 6 via Random House. (penguin.co.uk) ### Is this another Olive or Lucy Barton book? No — and that is part of the appeal. Strout herself has said she stepped away from those familiar worlds for this novel. Reviewers are treating that as a genuine shift rather than a minor variation, which matters because late-career literary novelists often get rewarded for deepening a signature universe, not leaving it. Strout is betting readers will follow her anyway. (elizabethstrout.com) ### Why are roundups paying attention right now? Early-May book coverage helps shape summer reading momentum. A roundup slot will not make a book on its own, but it does signal which titles editors think can travel — into book clubs, vacation reading piles, and broader review coverage. In this case, one book offers accessible cosy mystery, the other prestige literary fiction, so together they cover a lot of reader territory. (con-telegraph.ie) ### What should readers take from this? The useful takeaway is not just “two new books are out.” It is that both authors are testing how far their reputations stretch. Perry is trying fiction for the first time with a highly marketable premise. Strout is trying a new character world without giving up the emotional intensity readers expect. That makes this week’s pairing feel less random than it looks.