The Beginner's Goodbye
Ratings13
Average rating3.8
"Anne Tyler gives us a wise, haunting, and deeply moving new novel in which she explores how a middle-aged man, ripped apart by the death of his wife, is gradually restored by her frequent appearances--in their house, on the roadway, in the market. Crippled in his right arm and leg, Aaron has spent his childhood fending off a sister who wants to manage him. So when he meets Dorothy, a plain, outspoken, independent young woman, she is like a breath of fresh air. Unhesitatingly, he marries her, and they have a relatively happy, unremarkable marriage. But when a tree crashes into their house and Dorothy is killed, Aaron feels as though he has been erased forever. Only Dorothy's unexpected appearances from the dead help him to live in the moment and to find some peace. Gradually he discovers, as he works in the family's vanity-publishing business, turning out titles that presume to guide beginners through the trials of life, that maybe for this beginner there is a way of saying goodbye. A beautiful, subtle exploration of loss and recovery, pierced throughout with Anne Tyler's humor, wisdom, and always penetrating look at human foibles"--
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3.5
Not Tyler's strongest by any means, but I missed her writing style and her world in Baltimore.
I almost decided I didn't want to finish it. I agreed to be part of a bookray for this book. I was a fourth of the way into the story and I wasn't interested at all. I didn't care about the characters, I realized; I'll just close the book and send the book on to the next reader.
Only there was no sending the book on. I was the last reader and the
instructions specified that the last reader was to keep the book and pass
it on as she wished.
It just didn't seem respectful to pass on a book that I didn't like enough
to finish. What to do? What to do?
So it was with great reluctance that I read on.
And I warmed to the story, slowly, slowly, with every page read starting to
like the story more. As I read on, I could feel the Anne Tyler-ness of the
story start to build, the loneliness of the characters, the quirkiness of
the characters, and the way the characters finally were able to overcome
their loneliness and quirkiness by finding other lonely, quirky people to
love.
And, in the end, I liked it very much. A satisfying read. Not my favorite Anne Tyler, but a satisfying read.
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