The sparkling gem of the book is how profound truths and joys about life are revealed so lovingly and beautifully by simply showing us the life of one flawed and finicky man as he tries so hard to be good soul. What happens-what little plot there is-is truly secondary. As in all of Anne Tyler's books, this is a character study first and foremost. An 18-year-old boy, the son of his college girlfriend, unexpectedly shows up on Micah's doorstep thinking Micah is his biological father, while Micah's girlfriend of three years unexpectedly and abruptly breaks up with him.Įverything about this novel is perfect. But suddenly the routine and order of his life is shattered.
As an adult, his life is built around the calmness of order and routine. Micah, the youngest of five children and the only boy, grew up in a chaotic household. He begins each morning with a run, followed by a shower and breakfast. For example, on Thursdays he cleans the kitchen and one cabinet, rotating through the cabinets week by week until he starts over again. On each day of the week, he does a special cleaning chore. A bachelor, he is superintendent of a small apartment house in Baltimore, Maryland and operates a very part-time computer repair business called Tech Hermit. The quirky characters, the life lessons, and the essential nature of human relationships are all here, wrapped up in a short novel that just took my breath away it was so astoundingly good. Told with candor and compassion, the story is the literary equivalent of comfort food.
This, her 23rd novel, is by turns tender, humorous, wise, and just plain delightful. No one - no one!- writes like Anne Tyler.
Oh, I Loved This Book! It's Tender, Humorous, Wise, and Just Plain Delightful
An intimate look into the heart and mind of a man who finds those around him just out of reach, and a funny, joyful, deeply compassionate story about seeing the world through new eyes, Redhead by the Side of the Road is a triumph, filled with Anne Tyler's signature wit and gimlet-eyed observation. These surprises, and the ways they throw Micah's meticulously organized life off-kilter, risk changing him forever. But one day his routines are blown apart when his woman friend (he refuses to call anyone in her late thirties a "girlfriend") tells him she's facing eviction, and a teenager shows up at Micah's door claiming to be his son. A self-employed tech expert, superintendent of his Baltimore apartment building, cautious to a fault behind the steering wheel, he seems content leading a steady, circumscribed life. From the beloved and best-selling Anne Tyler, a sparkling new novel about misperception, second chances, and the sometimes elusive power of human connection.
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