Andie’s Book Club: ‘Tell Me Everything’
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout allows you to get lost in the world of the characters, each of whom relates to someone in your own life. Have you ever spent time with older people? Your parents or grandparents, family friends, maybe some neighbors. There is wisdom that comes with age and I’ve reached a point in my life where I don’t just appreciate their wisdom, but I crave it. While I read Tell Me Everything, I felt as though I was surrounded by people who are older and wiser and I loved every minute I spent with them and their stories. They told me everything.
Tell Me Everything is Strout’s tenth book. I found it as a Kindle recommendation and trusted the suggestion when I saw that it is also an Oprah Book Club pick. One of the things I love about reading is falling into step with the characters. My favorite books are ones that make me sad at the end because it means I won’t get to live with its characters anymore. That is this book. It is beautifully written with engaging characters, bewitching relationships, and clever circumstances. It’s a book about life, and love.
And Love is Love.
Let’s Break Down ‘Tell Me Everything’
The Characters:
Lucy Barton is an author who lives in a small town in Maine with her ex-husband William. (That’s right. She is still living with her ex-husband!)
Lucy’s best friend is Bob Burgess, who is a lawyer and married to the town minister.
Olive Kitteridge is an older woman who has opinions about everything and everyone and feels free to let her opinions fly. (We all know an older person like this, don’t we?)
The Dilemma
Lucy and Bob’s friendship begs the age-old question: can men and women truly be best friends without inappropriate thoughts or feelings? I do think it is natural for our feelings to evolve in different seasons of our lives, but at what point do you hit the brakes? Or at what point should you?
The story also follows one of Bob’s legal cases. He is representing a recluse who has been accused of the murder of his own mother. Meanwhile, the town gossip, Olive, is full of thoughts and speculation about the case, Bob and Lucy’s relationship, and the question of what anyone’s life even means.
Conclusion
In Tell Me Everything Strout captures the humanity and relatability of a small town, its residents, and their relationships. I found this novel to be a relaxing way to escape my own reality as I became engrossed in the stories Lucy, Bob, and Olive shared with one another.
And the ending left me so pleased.
If you, like me, are in a time of your life where you appreciate the wisdom of those older than you, Tell Me Everything will keep you in good company.
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