I don’t know if there’s anyone who can breathe life into slightly quirky characters as skillfully as Anne Tyler. They always mean well but they’re often prickly and/or eccentric, and they’re utterly fascinating even as they may annoy you.
“‘So this is how it works,’ she said. ‘This is what families do for each other—hide a few uncomfortable truths, allow a few self-deceptions. Little kindnesses.’”
Mercy and Robin Garrett take their family on their first vacation in 1959. They spend a week at Maryland’s Deep Creek Lake. It’s not long before they fall into familiar roles—Mercy is flighty, much more interested in painting than mothering; Robin is relishing the vacation he was forced into taking but does all of the traditional "man" things; their older daughter Alice takes responsibility in her mother’s place, while their younger daughter Lily spends all of her time with a boy she meets; and their young son, David, is already withdrawing from the demands of his family.
The book follows the family through the years, as Mercy becomes more immersed in her painting and less focused on her marriage, and as their children grow into their own lives and face their own challenges. We see a granddaughter’s trip to NYC with her grandmother; a grandson’s reflecting on the secrets he’s kept from his family; and grandparents enjoying a visit from their son and grandson during the pandemic.
I love the way Tyler writes. Nothing significant happens in this book but watching the family deal with life and each other is utterly compelling. There are moments of beauty in their simplicity. I’ve been a fan of hers for years and years and this is precisely why.
NetGalley and Knopf provided a complimentary copy of French Braid in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!
No comments:
Post a Comment