Tell Me Everything

Content Warning: This section contains depictions of child sexual assault, abuse, and rape.

Bob is the protagonist, or main character, of Tell Me Everything. He first appeared in Elizabeth Strout’s The Burgess Boys and has appeared as a character in several of her other novels, including the Amgash series. Bob is a semi-retired lawyer. Although he was born and raised in the area, he lived in New York City before moving back 15 years ago. The fundamental event that has shaped Bob’s life is that for most of his life he believed he accidentally killed his father until several years ago when his brother Jim confessed that he had done it. Throughout the novel, Bob and Jim’s relationship changes as they come to terms with the fact that neither of them can say for certain what happened, and they may never know the truth.

Bob is a quiet, unassuming man with “awful jeans and […] rumpled shirt” (264) and a “jacket so old that the collar was somewhat shredded” (67). When Margaret sees Matt’s portrait of Bob, she reflects on how it captured Bob’s essence, including his gray hair. According to the narrator, Bob is big-hearted but knows little about himself.