Booker Prize 2026 · Audiobook Review
Written by Elizabeth Strout · Narrated by Robert Petkoff
A quietly devastating novel about family, memory, ageing and the things people leave unsaid, told with Elizabeth Strout’s characteristic compassion and sharp observation.
The Story
The Things We Never Say returns to the world of Lucy Barton and the people around her, exploring families, relationships and the accumulated disappointments and compromises of ordinary lives. It’s classic Strout: apparently simple on the surface, but full of small observations that reveal far more than you initially expect. There’s politics here too — rather more overtly than I would have liked — but the human stories remain at the heart of the book.
The Narrator
Robert Petkoff is excellent. He has a wonderfully natural way with Strout’s dialogue and gives the different characters enough individuality without ever making the performance feel forced. It’s an understated narration that suits the book beautifully.
The Waffleometer
At just six and a half hours, this is a wonderfully economical audiobook. Strout doesn’t hang around, and there’s very little here that feels unnecessary. Short, focused and pleasingly unwaffly.
Scores
Story & Writing: 4 / 5
Narration: 4.5 / 5
Waffleometer: 1 / 5 (lower is better)
The Verdict
I enjoyed The Things We Never Say very much. Elizabeth Strout remains one of my favourite writers, and her ability to find something revealing in apparently ordinary lives is as strong as ever. The more overt political material didn’t always work for me, but it never overwhelmed the characters. Robert Petkoff’s excellent narration completes a short, beautifully observed and very unwaffly audiobook. I was delighted to see it make the Booker shortlist.