His carefully calibrated life is regular, steady, balanced.īut then the order of things starts to tilt. He is in a long-term relationship with his woman friend Cassia, but they live apart. Micah Mortimer measures out his days running errands for work, maintaining an impeccable cleaning regime and going for runs (7:15, every morning). 'If Anne Tyler isn't the best writer in the world, who is?' BBC Radio 4, Woman's HourĪ perfect love story for imperfect people. Now.A love-story gem from the bestselling author of A Spool of Blue Thread We could all take a page from Micah’s book: Enjoy the life you have. All we have during these uncertain times is our routine.

Rather, the novel reminds us, it is about being present to the tiny, boring moments presented to us every day. Redhead by the Side of the Road can help us realize that life often is not spectacular or about jumping from one big event to the next.

He didn’t even want anything he just wished he wanted something.” I cannot count the number of times I have lazily opened the fridge, wanting to want something-anything-yet leaving disappointed. “He opened the fridge and stared into it for a moment, but then he shut it again. There is a moment in the novel when Micah rushes home from a job, desperate to do something-anything. Its monotony can be unsettling to read about because it brings up the thought: Is anyone’s life extraordinary? He endures a confusing breakup with his partner and a visit with his family, where he is overwhelmed by the chaos, confusion and disorder that often accompany family gatherings.Įven amid the turbulence of an erroneous paternity claim, everything about Micah’s life screams mediocrity. We follow Micah over the course of several days in which the steady life he has led slowly begins to turn upside down. (He’s not.) This visit kicks off a series of inconveniences that Micah is unprepared for, and he begins to question the life he has built for himself. But one day, a young man shows up on his doorstep and claims that Micah is his real father. Everything is perfect, tidy and has a proper place. The routines we find exhausting are the ones he finds comfort in: wiping the counter, mopping the floor, washing the dishes. Micah is a self-employed tech expert and building supervisor for an apartment complex in Baltimore. Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler

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