Micah Mortimer seems destined to remain single. He is fastidious about keeping his home neat
and clean, has his own business, and stays fit by going for a run every
morning. What’s not to like? Still, his relationships eventually fizzle,
and he fails to understand his role in these breakups. When a young man named Brink comes to Micah’s
house, thinking that Micah is his biological father, Micah’s organized life
becomes a little messier. Plus, Micah’s
“lady friend” is afraid that she is about to be evicted for owning a cat and
obviously expects Micah to step up and offer to allow her to move in. In her mind, he could at least demonstrate
some empathy or advice about her predicament.
Micah, however, needs more than a subtle hint to get the picture. Anne Tyler always makes us appreciate good,
solid people who nevertheless are not quite whole or not quite dialed in. She also helps us see how a relationship can
go off the rails due merely to a lack of communication. Micah is a very well-adjusted person who just
turns out to be slightly clueless at times.
This book has no dastardly villains, but it does not have a lot of
passion, either. Sometimes Tyler’s characters
are too normal and ordinary to command my attention, but this book has a bit of
suspense, although not of the nail-biting variety.
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