Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout (born January 6, 1956) 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.

Strout's first novel, Amy and Isabelle (1998), met with widespread critical acclaim, became a national bestseller, and was adapted into a movie starring Elisabeth Shue. Her second novel, Abide with Me (2006), received critical acclaim but ultimately failed to be recognized to the extent of her debut novel. Two years later, Strout wrote and published Olive Kitteridge (2008), to critical and commercial success, grossing nearly $25 million with more than one million copies sold as of May 2017. The book was adapted into a multi Emmy Award-winning mini series and became a New York Times bestseller.

Five years later, she published The Burgess Boys (2013), which became a national bestseller. My Name Is Lucy Barton (2016) was met with international acclaim

After graduating from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, she spent a year in Oxford, England, followed by studies at law school for another year. In 1982, she graduated with honors, and received a J.D. degree from the Syracuse University College of Law. That year, her first story was published in New Letters magazine. Strout worked for six or seven years to complete her book Amy and Isabelle, which when published was shortlisted for the 2000 Orange Prize and nominated for the 2000 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. The New Yorker welcomed the novel with a positive review: "with superlative skill, Strout challenges us to examine what makes a good story—and what makes a good life."

Strout's third book, Olive Kitteridge, was published two years later in 2008. The book featured a collection of connected short stories about a woman and her immediate family and friends on the coast of Maine. Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker called the short stories "taciturn, elegant." In 2009, it was announced that the novel won the year's Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. NPR noted the novel by saying: "This is an ambitious novel that wants to train its gaze on the flotsam and jetsam of thought, as well as on big-issue topics like the politics of immigration and the possibility of second chances." The book became her second New York Times bestseller. The Washington Post reviewed it with the following observation: "he broad social and political range of The Burgess Boys shows just how impressively this extraordinary writer continues to develop." a story about Lucy Barton, a recovering patient from an operation who reconnects with her estranged mother. The New York Times reviewed it with the following observation: "there is not a scintilla of sentimentality in this exquisite novel. Instead, in its careful words and vibrating silences, My Name Is Lucy Barton offers us a rare wealth of emotion, from darkest suffering to—‘I was so happy. Oh, I was happy’—simple joy." The novel topped The New York Times bestseller list. It was also longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

Strout broke from her usual multi-year break in between novels to publish Anything Is Possible (2017), her sixth novel. Anything Is Possible was called a "literary mean joke" Anything Is Possible won The Story Prize for books published in 2017.

A sequel to Olive Kitteridge, titled Olive, Again, was published in October 2019. Olive, Again was selected for Oprah's Book Club.

In October 2021, Oh William! was published. The novel revisits the world of Lucy Barton, and according to Strout, is primarily about "how hard it is ever to know anyone, including ourselves". It was named to the shortlist of the 2022 Booker Prize.

A year later Strout published a pandemic novel, Lucy by the Sea. It portrays Lucy and her ex-husband William quarantining in Maine. The New York Times Book review praised the "intimacy and candor" of Lucy's voice, noting that her halting rhythms resonate.

In 2024, Strout returned to her characters Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge, Bob Burgess, and Isabelle Goodrow, now all living in Crosby, Maine, in Tell Me Everything. Oprah selected the novel for her book club, and it was shortlisted for the 2025 Books Are My Bag Readers' Awards. The Washington Post described it as "canny and radiant" and The New York Times Book Review praised its "abundance of searing and plain-spoken insights." Other reviews were less favorable. Both The New Republic and the TLS found the novel suffered from sentimentality, with the latter describing it as a "jostling, jarring mess."

In May 2026, she published the novel The Things We Never Say through Viking Press, and, in July 2026, it was longlisted for The Booker Prize.

Personal life

Strout is married to former Maine Attorney General James Tierney, lecturer in law at Harvard Law School and founding director of State AG, an educational resource on the office of state attorney general. She divides her time between New York City and Brunswick, Maine.