Redhead by the Side of the Road
A BBC BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOKER PRIZE GEM
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:1st Apr '21
Should be back in stock very soon
Micah Mortimer's orderly life is disrupted by unexpected challenges, leading him to reevaluate love and connection in Redhead by the Side of the Road.
In Redhead by the Side of the Road, we follow Micah Mortimer, a man who thrives on routine and order. He spends his days managing a meticulous cleaning schedule, running errands, and sticking to his morning runs at precisely 7:15 AM. His life is stable, and he is in a long-term relationship with Cassia, a woman he cares for deeply, though they maintain separate residences. This carefully structured existence begins to unravel when unexpected challenges arise.
When Cassia faces eviction, Micah's world is thrown into disarray. Compounding his troubles, a teenager unexpectedly arrives at his doorstep, claiming to be his son. These unforeseen events force Micah to confront the fragility of his carefully curated life and question his ability to connect with those around him. As he grapples with these challenges, he must navigate the complexities of love, responsibility, and the meaning of family.
Redhead by the Side of the Road is a poignant exploration of human relationships, showcasing Anne Tyler's talent for capturing the nuances of everyday life. Through Micah's journey, readers are invited to reflect on their own connections and the ways in which we find our paths back to love, even when the road becomes bumpy. This novel is a testament to the imperfect beauty of life and love, reminding us that even the most carefully constructed plans can lead to unexpected destinations.
Bursting with vitality and variety, it's a tour de force . . . characters almost leap off the page with authenticity, speech and body language wonderfully caught * Sunday Times *
Tyler’s piercing omniscience is on full, enthralling display * Vanity Fair *
A book this lovely feels practically heaven-sent…. Crisp and direct, yet full of subtle touches, it’s a big-hearted tale of roads not taken — a delight from start to finish * Daily Mail *
Anne Tyler really is the best. This reads as if she wrote it in one flawless seamless sitting. The sheer brilliance of making it all seem so effortless -- Graham Norton
Almost unbearably poignant . . . a moving and perceptive story about one man’s inability to connect with others and his gradual move towards greater self-fulfilment * Sunday Express *
Anne Tyler has the ability to take the minutiae of characters’ lives and say wise things about the human condition that other writers can only dream of * Stylist *
Tyler has every gift a great novelist needs: intent observation, empathy and language both direct and surprising. She has unembarrassed goodness as well. In this time of snark, preening, sub-tweeting and the showy torment of characters, we could use more Tyler -- Amy Bloom * New York Times *
As always, Tyler is a magician, able to conjure up, in a handful of sentences, such endlessly complicated things as the comical messiness of family life . . . You finish her novels feeling closer to life, and closer to other people -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *
Tyler rarely disappoints, but this is her best novel in some time – slender, unassuming, almost cautious in places, yet so very finely and energetically tuned, so apparently relaxed, almost flippantly so, but actually supremely sophisticated . . . Tyler’s ability to make you care about her characters is amazing, and never more so than here . . . In Micah, she’s created a man to puzzle and worry about, to ache and to root for -- Julie Myerson * Observer *
Tyler is a writer who compels not through the complexities of plot but by the precision of her observations, her perfect pitch in the music of unremarkable lives -- Clare Clark * Guardian *
ISBN: 9781529112450
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 12mm
Weight: 138g
192 pages