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Elizabeth Strout, author portrait

Elizabeth Strout

American
Born 1956
Elizabeth Strout is an American novelist and author. She is widely known for her works in literary fiction and her descriptive characterization. She was born and raised in Portland, Maine, and her experiences in her youth served as inspiration for her novels—the fictional "Shirley Falls, Maine" is the setting of four of her ten novels.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed 4 of Elizabeth Strout's books, including Olive, Again, The Things We Never Say, and Olive Kitteridge.
4
Books Reviewed

In Elizabeth Strout's own words

Elizabeth Strout speaks with Waterstones about the characters, themes, and inspiration behind The Things We Never Say.

Uploaded by Waterstones, 2026 · Watch on YouTube

Character of Francesca calling to Strout

Strout notes that the only character from this world currently nudging her imagination for a potential future story is Francesca, living as an expatriate concert pianist in Brussels.

“the only person that so far has called me a little bit is Francesca.”
Also in this interview

On The Things We Never Say: A Novel

Ask LuvemBooks about Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout writes quiet, character-driven literary fiction that finds enormous emotional weight in small-town New England life and the silences between people. Across the four books we've reviewed, she returns repeatedly to the same Maine communities and characters — most notably in the linked Olive Kitteridge novels, where a sharp-edged widow becomes a lens for examining loneliness, regret, and the limits of self-knowledge. Her prose is spare but accumulative, the kind of writing that lands harder in retrospect than in the moment.
Where should I start?
Olive Kitteridge is the natural starting point — it's where Strout's fictional world takes root, and understanding Olive makes the later books richer. It holds a reader rating of 4.2/5 across more than 35,000 Amazon ratings, which reflects how widely it's been read rather than any shortcoming. If you've already read it, The Things We Never Say is currently trending and pairs well as a next step.
What's their writing style?
Strout writes in a spare, understated style where what's left unsaid carries as much weight as the dialogue on the page. She tends to work in short, interconnected chapters or vignettes, circling the same characters from different angles rather than building toward a conventional plot arc. Her tone is cool but not cold — emotionally precise in the way that makes readers recognize something true about people they know.
Books we've reviewed
We've reviewed four of Strout's books on LuvemBooks. The Things We Never Say is her most recently reviewed title and currently trending. Olive, Again continues the story of her most iconic character. Tell Me Everything, an Oprah's Book Club pick, brings familiar characters together in new ways. Olive Kitteridge is the Pulitzer-winning novel where it all began.
How do her books compare?
The Olive books — Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again — form their own linked world and are best read together; they're more structurally experimental, built from vignettes rather than a single narrative thread. Tell Me Everything and The Things We Never Say are more conventionally novelistic while still sharing Strout's characteristic Maine setting and interconnected cast. Readers who respond to one tend to respond to all, but the Olive books have the sharpest central character to anchor them.
Why are her books trending?
Both The Things We Never Say and Olive Kitteridge are currently trending on LuvemBooks. The Things We Never Say is a recent release generating fresh reader attention, while Olive Kitteridge continues to draw readers — likely driven by new fans working backwards through Strout's catalog after discovering her later work.
What genre does she write?
All of Strout's reviewed books fall into literary fiction. Her work is grounded in realism — no speculative or genre elements — and is primarily concerned with domestic life, community, and the emotional textures of everyday existence in small-town America. Readers drawn to quiet, character-focused novels with strong prose will find her work well-suited to their tastes.
What should I read after Olive Kitteridge?
The most direct next step after Olive Kitteridge is Olive, Again, which returns to the same character years later and rewards readers already invested in her world. After that, Tell Me Everything draws on the broader cast of Strout's Maine universe and is an Oprah's Book Club pick, making it widely discussed. The Things We Never Say is also trending right now if you want to stay current with her newer work.
Who is Elizabeth Strout?

Who is Elizabeth Strout?

Elizabeth Strout is an American novelist best known for her linked story collections and novels set in coastal Maine. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Olive Kitteridge in 2009, which brought her widespread recognition. Her work is known for its restrained, precise prose and its focus on ordinary people navigating loss, estrangement, and the weight of the past.

Follow up

What is she best known for?
Has she won any major awards?

Synthesized from verified book data & published reviews · How we review

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Cover of Olive, Again: A Novel
Olive, Again: A Novel

4.4/5

reader rating · 28,168 ratings

Olive, Again is a New York Times bestseller and Oprah's Book Club pick in which Elizabeth Strout returns to the coastal Maine town of Crosby and its unforgettable protagonist, Olive Kitteridge, through 13 interrelated short stories that chart aging, grief, loneliness, regret, and flickering hope. A sequel to Strout's Pulitzer Prize–winning Olive Kitteridge, it was named a best book of the year by Time and Vogue, and earned praise from reviewers as "beautifully written and alive with compassion, at times almost unbearably poignant."

Reviewed Jul 29, 2026

Cover of The Things We Never Say: A Novel
The Things We Never Say: A Novel

4.4/5

reader rating · 13,437 ratings

Elizabeth Strout's eleventh novel, published by Random House on May 5, 2026, marks a deliberate departure from her celebrated interconnected Maine universe, introducing a new protagonist — 57-year-old Artie Dam — and exploring male loneliness, the weight of secrets, and the slow, painful work of honest self-knowledge in a compact, scene-driven narrative set in Massachusetts.

Reviewed Jun 28, 2026

Cover of Olive Kitteridge
Olive Kitteridge

4.2/5

reader rating · 35,615 ratings

Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge is a structurally inventive work of fiction — thirteen interrelated but narratively discontinuous stories set in the fictional coastal Maine town of Crosby — held together by one of American literature's most indelible characters. Winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and a finalist for the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award, it was named a Best Book of 2008 by a wide range of publications including People, USA Today, The Atlantic, The Washington Post Book World, and the Chicago Tribune, among others. Strout's novel in stories offers, as the publisher's synopsis frames it, "profound insights into the human condition — its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires."

Reviewed Jun 20, 2026

Cover of Tell Me Everything: Oprah's Book Club: A Novel
Tell Me Everything: Oprah's Book Club: A Novel

4.3/5

reader rating · 28,404 ratings

Tell Me Everything is a New York Times bestseller, an Oprah's Book Club pick, and a Women's Prize for Fiction shortlistee in which Pulitzer Prize–winning author Elizabeth Strout reunites readers with Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge, and Bob Burgess in autumn-drenched Crosby, Maine — weaving a murder investigation, a profound new friendship, and meditations on memory and meaning into what the publisher describes as Strout operating at the height of her powers.

Reviewed Apr 12, 2026

Authors Like Elizabeth Strout
J

Jane Smiley

Fiction
Women's Fiction
Literary Fiction
Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres shares Elizabeth Strout's focus on rural communities, buried family secrets, and unflinching moral complexity.
1 book reviewed
A Thousand Acres
Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro

Fiction
Literary Fiction
The Remains of the Day matches Strout's understated voice and emotional precision, portraying a protagonist reckoning with late-life regret, self-deception, and suppressed grief.
2 books reviewed
The Remains of the Day
Klara and the Sun: A GMA Book Club Pick: A novel
Florence Knapp

Florence Knapp

Fiction
Women's Fiction
Literary Fiction
Florence Knapp’s The Names shares Strout’s interlinked structure and controlled prose, exploring ordinary lives shaped by grief and what remains unsaid in families.
1 book reviewed
The Names
D

D S Getson

Fiction
Literary Fiction
D S Getson's Earl, Honey shares Strout's spare emotional precision, offering an unhurried, close-focus portrait of loneliness and personal tragedy in a small community.
1 book reviewed
Earl, Honey
Shelby Van Pelt

Shelby Van Pelt

Fiction
Women's Fiction
Literary Fiction
Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures shares Strout's focus on grief, aging, and connection, blending a warm mystery with humor and heart alongside quiet character-driven moments.
1 book reviewed
Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel
M

Maggie Shipstead

Fiction
Literary Fiction
Maggie Shipstead’s Great Circle spans decades and continents to explore what a woman's life means, offering a larger-scale complement to Elizabeth Strout’s intimate focus and emotional depth.
1 book reviewed
Great Circle