The Things We Never Say Ending Explained — What Happens and Why | Insta.Page

The Things We Never Say Ending Explained

by Elizabeth Strout

The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout Book Cover

Elizabeth Strout's ending leaves you with plenty to untangle. Here we walk through what actually happens in those final pages, why Strout chose to end it that way, and where each character ends up. No plot secrets yet, so read on.

Major spoiler warning: everything below reveals the full ending of The Things We Never Say.

What Happens at the End of The Things We Never Say

Over two summers Artie sails alone, blanking his mind on the water but sinking into dread onshore as he watches the president humiliate Ukraine's leader, propose making Gaza 'the new French Riviera,' deport people to foreign prisons, arrest student protesters, and open a Florida prison. A burner-phone instruction arrives from Brussels. During a ten-day visit with Francesca, Rob takes Artie sailing, leaves Artie's cellphone behind, and reveals he is working for the European Union on an AI platform, warning that American intelligence cannot be trusted and that due process may soon disappear. A thick fog strands them until it lifts near Endicott Peabody's house, where they laugh together. That winter, principal Hoover Lakeland shoots himself.

The Ending, Explained

The ending completes Artie's long arc from secretly planning suicide to dying of a natural death. Earlier he had wanted to end his life without anyone knowing, but after his near-drowning he realized he did not want to die, he simply did not want to live. Later he promises Evie he will never harm himself, and the novel insists on the difference between suicidal despair and a slower fatal decline: Artie does not choose his death; it comes to him. His final understanding that he will not have the free will to prevent whatever happens to him pays off the novel's recurring free-will question, and the inherited heart attack at the same age his father died reinforces the sense of fate.

Where Every Character Ends Up

Artie Dam: Dies of a massive heart attack during the June heat wave, at the same age his father died; found by Evie on their bed and memorialized at the First Congregational Church.
Evie: Widowed; she tries to care for Artie through his depression, finds him dead, and stands with Rob and Francesca at the funeral.
Rob: Living in Brussels with Francesca, working for the European Union on an AI platform; he attends the funeral, reassures Danny Marino that Artie did not kill himself, but does not tell Evie he was detained at the border and will not risk returning.
Francesca: Rob's wife; she suffered a miscarriage that weighed heavily on Artie, and at the funeral she plays a piano piece composed by Artie.
Danny Marino: A former student now in college; he attends the funeral with Rhonda, comforts her, and is relieved when Rob confirms Artie died of a heart attack.
Rhonda Lazarre: Attends the funeral with Danny and weeps openly, leaning into him for comfort.
Anne Merrill: Retired; she becomes Artie's quiet companion in his final months, driving him to Revere Beach and putting her hand over his, though she is not shown at the funeral.
Hoover Lakeland: Dead; the former principal shoots himself during the winter, a blow that contributes to Artie's decline.
Ken Moynihan: Remains Artie's kind friend and, at the funeral, is seen speaking to the father of Heather Morrison.

Questions the Book Leaves Open

  • What will become of Rob's EU intelligence work, and whether he will ever be able to safely return to the United States.
  • Whether Evie will ever learn the full truth about Rob's biological father, Rob's secret work, or Rob's detention at the border.
  • What happens to the country Artie saw as 'committing suicide'—whether the political situation worsens or changes.
  • What lies ahead for Danny and Rhonda after the funeral.

Continue Exploring