The story is set in Baltimore and chronicles the lives of the Whitshank family.It begins with Abby and Red Whitshank and their four children.The whole family is gathered on the porch and is listening contentedly as Abby tells the tale they have heard so many times before.Yet,this gathering is different-Abby and Red are growing older and decisions must be made about how best to look after them and the fate of the house so lovingly built by Red's father.It is shown that while all families like to believe they are special,they do not always get along and have secrets from each other.Each member has their own hopes and fears,rivalries and tensions.This story starts in the present and goes back to the past when the children were younger and goes back a generation to Red's parents,so we spool back through three generations of the Whitshanks,witnessing the events,secrets and unguarded moments that have come to define who and what they are.
My Views:When I began reading this book,I thought it was about a dysfunctional family.Once I was done with it,I realised that this could be a story of any family because I think each family unit has its quirks and is dysfunctional in its own way.Anne Tyler does a great job at portraying the vagaries of human nature.I liked the way we were introduced to each character and were witness to their most private thoughts and nature.The characters seemed very real along with their quirks and eccentricities.Sometimes their stories revealed only to the reader were really shocking but totally believable.
It just made me think that every family is like a spool of thread,tightly wound around itself but once it unspools and things start unraveling ,there are a lot of surprises in store.Misgivings,Sibling rivalries which start off as small but reach new proportions in adulthood,stories narrated about events which change with each retelling,marital secrets,unexpected loss,love in the strangest of places,skeletons in the closet.These just change all the equations in the process and ultimately make us who we are.
This was a well-crafted story and I enjoyed reading it.Felt a bit disconnected in some parts but then nothing ever has a logical conclusion in real life.Does it?!So why expect it in fiction?!I was expecting something more about Denny or maybe I was expecting something different.We all have that one black sheep in the family and sometimes we never find out why they are the way they are.
I only just discovered Anne Tyler and somehow managed to read her last novel.Yes,she has said that this is going to be her last.All I have to say about this book is that it was a frank portrayal of human nature and families in general.The story took its own time to grow on me but it transported me to the Whitshanks home when it did.
Surely recommended!
I rate it a 4 out of 5.
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