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Chapter 1: What inspired Elizabeth Strout to create the character Artie Dam?
Elizabeth, welcome back to Waterstones.
Thank you. It's lovely to be here and to talk with you again. Thank you.
We spoke, I think it was probably about six years ago now, on the publication of Olive Again. And what I remember from that chat was the way that you said that she just popped back into your consciousness again, and that's why you started writing. And with this new book... the things we never say, we have a completely new character. We have sort of moved in the Elizabeth Strout verse.
And I've seen a little bit about where Artie Dam came from, a photograph that you were sent from an obituary. Which is incredible, but I want to know why that photograph? How did you know that this was a new character and what came next?
I didn't know that it was a new character at all. I just realized later that his face in this photograph was just so unbelievably ordinary. just the most ordinary looking face and I just stared at it because it was, and he looked pleasant and ordinary, had these big wire rimmed glasses and his last name was Dam, D-A-M-M. And I just remember that face and the name Dam
And then at some point afterwards, a few months, maybe it was a year, I don't know. But I realized Artie Dam with one M. And then I explained in the book why it only has one M. Yeah. And that was Artie.
so you had you had the face and I wondered what because you often talk about how you have your characters and then you you drop them into a place and a time and then you see right what happens so what was it that you knew about Artie at the beginning of this book in terms of character or well um there's one other part that I don't talk about that much but I I happen to know a man in Maine he people in Maine by the way don't talk much okay and um
This fellow mentioned one day, just mentioned that he and his father had been in a boat one day and they had seen this man's head in the water and this man was just floating by and they picked him up and brought him to shore. And I just kept saying, but why was he there? And no answer. Guy was typical Maine. That was all there was to the story.
But he did say, he did say, I think my father called him and took him for a drink a couple nights later. And then I realized, oh, that came back for Kenneth Moynihan to call him. And I thought, that was helpful. So I could not get rid of this image of a man floating in the water. And the fellow who told me just didn't seem interested at all.
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Chapter 2: How does Artie's character reflect themes of loneliness and communication?
And I was amazed. And ever since that moment, I've thought about it often. I thought, well, how could she be so sure? But anyway, so I've thought about it myself. And I thought, I already was going to think about this.
He also, he says a brilliant thing to his wife, which is, I wonder why people never say anything real.
And that's at the beginning of the book.
Yeah.
And then it's sort of like a little like, heads up, everybody, this is the point of the book.
She quite correctly points out that if people just went around saying everything that was real, it would be chaos.
Nobody would enjoy the cocktail party, right?
But he's really, he's worried about the fact that people are hiding things and not being honest with themselves.
Yeah.
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Chapter 3: What setting does Elizabeth Strout choose for her new novel and why?
Yeah.
And potentially harm them with the truth.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm not going to ask you to answer that question.
I don't have an answer. Good luck. Good luck, everybody. In the whole world, good luck.
It's an important question, though, isn't it?
It's a very important question. And obviously, everybody answers it in their own way, according to who they are. Because I kept wondering if Artie was going to reveal this. And I realized, as I wrote it, I thought, apparently not. Because one night I thought, okay, he's going to do it. And then they have a fight. And I wrote that. And I kept writing that Artie never says anything.
And I realized, because he can't. He's not going to, because he's Artie Dam. And he's not going to be able to get the words out. And for whatever reasons that he's not fully aware of, whether he's angry or he's feeling empowered or his Relationship with his son. He doesn't want to do you know, he's just not gonna tell her.
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Chapter 4: How does Artie's profession as a history teacher influence his character?
Yeah, exactly. I mean, I diddle around with all sorts of different ideas, but it's not happening yet, if it does happen at all.
That is a delicious tease and so different to this book. So that's really interesting, that sort of calling to you slightly. We, I think, have done an amazing job of skirting around the plot details of this book, which, as I say, I wanted to leave to readers. But thank you so much for giving me a little time to talk to you about the book today.
Oh, thank you. You're very welcome. It's lovely to talk to you. It really is. Thank you so much.