The
latest novel from probably my favourite author.
It’s
great, of course, but not her best, even if it does have one of the most
wonderful opening lines of any novel: “The strangest thing about my wife’s
return from the dead was how other people reacted.”
Aaron
works in the family’s old-fashioned publishing business. He has a paralysed arm
and leg and has been cosseted by his mother and sister – which he hates. So
when he meets no-nonsense doctor Dorothy they’re made for each other. Their
unfussy, undemonstrative routine suits them both.
But
then Dorothy is killed in a freak accident, and Aaron feels as if he’s “been
ripped in two”.
Apart
from the accident this is a typical Anne Tyler novel in that nothing dramatic
happens. It’s a very gentle, very loving look at grief and how someone starts
to put their life back together again.
My
only complaint is that I couldn’t believe Aaron was in his mid-30s. He seems to
be 55 at least. Maybe that’s the point.
No comments:
Post a Comment