Elizabeth Strout's 4 Life-Changing Books

Elizabeth Strout's Literary Picks

Elizabeth Strout, known for her small-town novels, recommends four books spanning modern classics to literary romance.

Olive Kitteridge and Pulitzer

Strout's 2008 Pulitzer-winning novel Olive Kitteridge features vivid descriptions of everyday moments with profound emotional depth.

“Retired now, he still wakes early and remembers how mornings used to be his favorite, as though the world were his secret, tires rumbling softly beneath him and the light emerging through the early fog, the brief sight of the bay off to his right, then the pines, tall and slender, and almost always he rode with the window partly open because he loved the smell of the pines and the heavy salt air, and in the winter he loved the smell of the cold.”

Strout's Favorite Book

Strout's most recent novel, The Things We Never Say, was shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize and is Ann Patchett's favorite Strout book.

Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five, a WWII novel by Kurt Vonnegut, follows Billy Pilgrim who becomes 'unstuck in time' reliving past and future events.

“I came to this book later in life, I think it is, among other things, the loveliest, most delicate account of post-traumatic stress I've ever read, like the water that simply runs from the eyes of Billy Pilgrim.”

Lily King's Writers & Lovers

Lily King's Writers & Lovers centers on Casey mourning her mother's death while struggling to finish a six-year novel project.

“So many authors raved about King's Writers & Lovers, including Strout and Patchett! Patchett called it 'suffused with hopefulness.' Meanwhile, Strout said it was 'gorgeous.'”

James Baldwin's Another Country

James Baldwin's Another Country explores love, desire and identity across Greenwich Village, Harlem and France with emotional depth.

“Many years ago, when I first read Baldwin's 1962 novel about a doomed Greenwich Village jazz drummer, I thought, 'Wow, I can't believe it. The narrator is so fierce and strong, and the book pulses with such honesty.'”

William Trevor's The Collected Stories

William Trevor's The Collected Stories highlights ordinary moments in rural Ireland with themes of family, love and connection.

“The book that I recommend over and over again is The Collected Stories by William Trevor, they are so comforting and quiet and surprising. I have a copy upstairs and a copy downstairs, so I don't have to go up and down to read them.”

Ann Patchett's Favorite

Ann Patchett considers Strout's work a source of inspiration and has praised her books as 'gorgeous' and 'suffused with hopefulness'.

Strout's Literary Influence

Strout's writing style is praised for its ability to make everyday moments feel extraordinary through beautiful, effortless prose.

Book Recommendations

Strout recommends four books: Lily King's Writers & Lovers, Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, James Baldwin's Another Country, and William Trevor's The Collected Stories.

Reader Reactions

Readers praise Strout's recommendations for their emotional depth and literary significance, with many calling them transformative.

“It is rare that I reread a contemporary novel, especially one that I read just five years ago, but after reading King's new novel, Heart the Lover, I couldn't resist.”

Strout's Next Book

Strout's next book is expected to be even better than her previous works, as noted by Ann Patchett.