It has been awhile since I've read anything by Anne Tyler and which means I forgot just how good she is and how I should be reading more.
This book is about the Whitshanks, a typical family whose matriarch and patriarch are aging and so a change needs to be made. But it is about so much more than just that, the book covers multiple generations and we get to know each person at least a little bit and how they fit in with everyone else. Denny doesn't seem to fit with any of them but yet we hear about him coming home to take charge when his sister was suffering from horrible postpartum depression. Stem seems like the chosen favorite but later we find out he isn't even a Whitshank. Abby and Red have always seemed like a solid couple but how do they compare to Red's parents?
In some ways, this family is much like all others but also like all others, there is something special and different. Anne Tyler has a way with making the black sheep feel like the normal one and making you want to know more about everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment