Source of book: Audiobook from the library
After the last audiobook I listened to, which was so emotionally intense that it about did me in, I went with a bit lighter fare for my trip to fetch my youngest kid from science camp.
As I often do when the books on my list are on hold and haven’t come in yet, I scrolled through the list of “available now” selections, and looked for ones with listening times roughly suited to the known driving times I would have.
That’s how I ended up listening to Anne Tyler.
This book - and indeed Tyler's books generally, are Chick Lit, although not fluff, if that makes sense. The plots are very domestic, small scale, personal. The endings are described using words like “sweet,” “sentimental,” and “cozy.” Which, I guess in this case, kind of applies, although more because of an implied happy ending rather than the ambiguous or tragic ones usually preferred for literary fiction.
On the other hand, the plots are character driven, focusing on how real people would react to realistic situations. In that sense, her writing feels like one of Anthony Trollope’s more domestic novels. The characters are realistic, complex, realistic, and interesting. Definitely not the caricatures you often find in genre fiction. A few of the plot points felt a bit contrived, but not egregiously so.
Books like these are difficult for me to categorize. They are more thoughtful than genre, but not as psychologically deep as literary fiction. But maybe I am suffering from the cultural bias against so-called “female” literature, and the tendencies to see relationships as less “serious” topics for literature than broader social issues. Plus, she has won a Pulitzer...
Whatever the case, I enjoyed the book, and found the characters likeable. Particularly Max, who deserves a better life than he got.
The book is set over a three day period: before, during, and after the day of the wedding of Debbie, the daughter of the narrator, Gail, and her ex-husband, Max.
Right before the wedding, Debbie is told by her fiance’s sister that he may have cheated on her. But, well, there are competing stories and motives, and whatever. Debbie decides to proceed with the marriage, despite Gail’s misgivings.
The problem is, however, that Gail has other reasons for overreacting. And, in a twist from the usual stereotype, it isn’t that Max had cheated on her - he never did. It was she who cheated, and then eventually left Max despite his willingness to just forget about the betrayal and move on.
You can also throw into the mix Debbie’s micromanaging mother-in-law, Gail’s retiring boss who is laying Gail off so the new boss can bring in her own staff, and a senior citizen cat in need of a home. Because stories are always cozier with a cat. (Okay, maybe not in the case of The Master and Margarita, or Mort(e)...)
Over the course of the novella, the characters have to come to terms with their pasts, and their own beliefs about love, marriage, and family. Which is pretty relevant to all of us.
One of the things I particularly thought was good was the way the author gently notes the way that our deepest fears aren’t really about what other people did to us, but about what we know we ourselves are capable of. We project our weakness even more than our traumas.
I also liked Max, even though I probably would have found him irritating to live with at times. He is a bit of a free spirit, not always planning the future (although he isn’t irresponsible - he just lives in the moment.) He likes cats, which is always a plus in a guy. He cooks, and is generally a thoughtful sort of guy.
Ironically, one of the criticisms that Tyler regularly receives is that her males are “testosterone challenged.” Which, being a cishet male, I am not exactly sure what women mean by that in this context. I tend to read it as they don’t think of themselves as alpha males, and avoid toxic masculinity. Which is a plus.
Because of that, I don’t find Max to be a “sad sack.” If a female character had remained single after a divorce, worked in her career, kept a relationship with her daughter, and after retirement worked as a volunteer, would we consider her a “sad sack"? Or just a woman who didn’t find it worth it to chase another man? So why not for a man?
And seriously, if you are going to (for a whole cascade of reasons), end up showing up on your ex’s door, with a cat, needing a place to spend a couple of nights for your daughter’s wedding, spending your time preparing meals and taking care of details sounds…totally functional and decent.
Yeah, Max is the man, whatever the critics say.
Gail, as the narrator, clearly has some work to do on herself, although she is flawed, not a bad person. Everyone in this book, even the micromanaging mother-in-law, seem like the sort of people one could get along with well enough. Just a bunch of normal, quirky humans with the usual baggage.
Perhaps Gail just needs a cat. That’s at least my theory, and I think it is quite plausible.
The narrator was J. Smith-Cameron, who did a fine job.
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