Pulitzer prize winner Elizabeth Strout, 68, has united two of her most beloved characters in her latest novel, Tell Me Everything. The book brings together self-effacing author Lucy Barton, abrasive nonagenarian Olive Kitteridge, and sometime lawyer Bob Burgess, who first appeared in her 2013 novel The Burgess Boys. Set in Maine as winter yields to spring, the story explores loneliness, connection, and the redemptive power of storytelling.
Strout admitted she never intended to keep writing about the same people, but the idea of bringing them together gradually took hold. 'I wanted to get Olive and Lucy together – that was a propelling force,' she said. 'I just thought it would be so much fun, and of course Olive can't stand her at first.' The working title was The Book of Bob, as Strout has always been intrigued by Bob's decency and his lack of self-awareness.
The author described the process as risky, wondering if readers would want to follow multiple characters' stories. She always writes with a reader in mind, imagining a patient but not overly patient person across the desk. 'It's my job to take them along and to deliver something that is worth their while,' she explained.
Strout revealed she does not plan her plots in advance. 'I really don't plan anything as a writer. I wish I could be a bit more organised, but I just sort of splash away,' she said. This approach extended to the relationship between Lucy and Bob, which evolved organically.
On the state of America, Strout expressed cautious hope. 'I feel very hopeful some days, and then I get worried about my hopefulness, because don't forget, I am from New England, we're not supposed to expect good things,' she said. The theme of unknowability runs through her work, as she remains fascinated by the idea that every person has a hidden story.
Strout, who knew from a young age that she wanted to write, credited her mother, an English teacher, for encouraging her. 'She had a natural brilliance to her storytelling and would talk about people to me in a way that made me understand that all ordinary people are extraordinary,' she recalled.
