A 10-Star Book in a 5-Star World: A Deeply Resonant Novel About Human Connections and Loneliness
Oh, this book. This is a ten-star book in a five-star world! Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout, this is a novel for our times—our angst-filled political times when the world seems as if it has turned upside down and we are incapable of righting it.
This is the story of Artie Dam, a beloved high school history teacher, whose 11th grade students—even (or maybe especially) the troubled, insolent ones—learn so much from him, not only about the Civil War, but also about life. Artie, who is 57, has been married to Evie for 34 years, and they have a grown son, Rob, who is 27. The couple live in an extraordinary, light-filled home that overlooks the Massachusetts Bay, a house that Evie inherited from her parents and one they could never afford to buy now.
Artie, who is an accomplished sailor and loves nothing more than spending time on the water in his boat, doesn't understand why he is experiencing frequent thoughts of suicide. He doesn't particularly want to die, but he doesn't want to keep living. One day Artie has an accident while trying to board his sailboat, and he realizes then that he does want to keep living. It is soon after the accident that a shaken Rob tells Artie a shocking and life-altering secret someone recently confided to him. Life-altering, indeed. Somehow Artie has to learn to live with this long-buried secret, and this makes him realize how much we lie to each other. Meanwhile, Artie keeps going to school and teaching his students, making such a significant difference in so many young lives.
Very subtly overshadowing all of this is the 2024 presidential election, the results of which left half the country jubilant and the other half stunned. Artie is one who is stunned, and this colors his deepest feelings about his personal life with a sense of wariness and weariness.
This book is about both the deep connections we make with other people by showing kindness and compassion, especially to strangers, as well as the deep loneliness each of us often experiences. After all, even those we love the most never really know the deepest secrets of our souls. Ultimately, each one of us is alone. And we have to figure out how to live that way—with all the things we never say.
Bonus: This is also a love letter to that one favorite teacher we all remember. Teachers, especially those who truly feel called to the profession, are essential and vital to our society and make such a difference in their students' lives. Yay for teachers!
(06/25/26)
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