Noah's Compass / Anne Tyler 277 p.

Liam is a 60-ish unemployed schoolteacher who struggles to remember being attacked in his new, downsized apartment. In his quest to understand what has happened to him, he connects with a much younger woman who works as a rememberer for a man with dementia. The great thing, I think, about all of Tyler's books is that they center around truly ordinary people. They take the bus, live in drab apartments, and eat canned soup. At the moment I can't think of another author who stays so thoroughly in that one social milieu. While I wouldn't want all fiction to be like this quiet, thoughtful book, it makes for a refreshing break.

I listened to this on audio, with my 9-year-old son in the car, who chose to listen to it rather than watch DVDs in the back seat. He actually enjoyed it. Not sure what to make of that, except that maybe it's possible to entertain kids without snot jokes and car crashes.