Name: Redhead by the Side of the Road
ISBN: 9781473574663

Anne Tyler

'Bursting with vitality and variety, it's a tour-de-force' Sunday Times Micah Mortimer isn't the most polished person you'll ever meet. His numerous sisters and in-laws regard him oddly but very fondly. He measures out his days running errands for work, maintaining an impeccable cleaning regime and going for runs (7:15, every morning). He is content with the steady balance of his life. But then the order of things starts to tilt. And when a teenager shows up at Micah's door claiming to be his son, Micah is confronted with another surprise he seems poorly equipped to handle... **A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2020** ** LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2020**

Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2020

Redhead by the Side of the Road

From the beloved and best-selling Anne Tyler, a sparkling new novel about misperception, second chances, and the sometimes elusive power of human connection. Micah Mortimer is a creature of habit. A self-employed tech expert, superintendent of his Baltimore apartment building, cautious to a fault behind the steering wheel, he seems content leading a steady, circumscribed life. But one day his routines are blown apart when his woman friend (he refuses to call anyone in her late thirties a "girlfriend") tells him she's facing eviction, and a teenager shows up at Micah's door claiming to be his son. These surprises, and the ways they throw Micah's meticulously organized life off-kilter, risk changing him forever. An intimate look into the heart and mind of a man who finds those around him just out of reach, and a funny, joyful, deeply compassionate story about seeing the world through new eyes, Redhead by the Side of the Road is a triumph, filled with Anne Tyler's signature wit and gimlet-eyed observation.

Kristen Claiborn

Way back when I was a wee lass, I had a language arts teacher who said there are three basic conflict types in literature: man V man, man V nature/machine, and man V himself. Since then, I analyze every conflict in every book I read and try to prove her wrong (why I’m so determined to prove her wrong baffles me, but I keep doing it). I have yet to prove her wrong. Turns out she might have been one of the most influential teachers I ever had, not necessarily my favorite (that woman was just plain mean), but she insisted that we explore literature from our point of view and not let other people persuade us one way or another. Students usually get books stuffed down our throats, and we’re told what the author’s “meaning” or “message” was, and we’re told how we’re supposed to respond to a book…but that’s not the best way to create a lifelong reader. This particular teacher really just wanted us to enjoy reading, and I sincerely appreciate her for that. 
	Anyhoo, this book is a very good example of man versus himself. He comes across as somebody who might be on the autism spectrum with his rigid routines and his interactions with others, including his woman friend. This man resists change. I can respect that. I also dislike change (especially surprise changes, that just chaps my hide). If I were still teaching, I would probably consider using this in my classroom. It’s not a particularly stellar piece of literature, but the conflict itself is well-developed. I did feel like I was treading water quite a bit throughout this book, and I also didn’t feel like there was too much of a solid resolution. However, the man-versus-himself conflict type is one I don’t really run across too often, and when I do it’s not always a solid example, but this one definitely is. I give it 3.75 stars because of that. Since I can’t do that, I’ll round up to four stars. 
	Also, I polished this one off in a few hpurs, it’s been a REALLY long time since I’ve done that!

What was this about, again? It was so short, and felt like it just lacked so much.

It's more of a character portrait than a real story. What you think might be setting up some major drama, just fizzled into nothing. And nothing that seemed even remotely memorable. I guess he finally realized life can't be perfect and that's what was holding him back this whole time?

I don't know, even Clock Dance was better than this one.

Michael Hessling

Dude runs in JEANS. OK, then! 

A little tired of the "clueless man" trope, but I'm glad he finally figured out his shit and got back together with Cass.

I do agree that women should run the world. :)

Clare

Micah Mortimer isn't the most polished person you'll ever meet. His numerous sisters and in-laws regard him oddly but very fondly, but he has his ways and means of navigating the world. He measures out his days running errands for work - his TECH HERMIT sign cheerily displayed on the roof of his car - maintaining an impeccable cleaning regime and going for runs (7:15, every morning). He is content with the steady balance of his life. But then the order of things starts to tilt. His woman friend Cassia (he refuses to call anyone in her late thirties a 'girlfriend') tells him she's facing eviction because of a cat. And when a teenager shows up at Micah's door claiming to be his son, Micah is confronted with another surprise he seems poorly equipped to handle. Redhead by the Side of the Road is an intimate look into the heart and mind of a man who sometimes finds those around him just out of reach - and a love story about the differences that make us all unique.

Redhead by the Side of the Road Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2020

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