The title of this book is the first thing that drew me in. Who is this redhead? What are they doing by the side of the road? Why are they there? How did they get there? It fascinated me, and I wanted to find out the answers – turns out the explanation isn’t anything I could have guessed, and is probably my favourite part of the novel. But that’s getting a little ahead of myself.
I’ve only read one Anne Tyler before this – A Spool of Blue Thread. To be honest, I struggled with it a little bit. It wasn’t a bad book, but it was a very in-depth family saga, which isn’t my type of story. I usually find them a bit dry and long. Spool wasn’t an exception. I think people who enjoy family sagas would love it, I’m just not one of them. So I went into this book with a bit of trepidation. But pretty much from the start, I found this book much more engaging.
This is similar to Spool in the focus of the story. It slowly teases out the details of the main character, Micah’s life. We learn his routines (and how important they are to him), his history and who the important people in his life are. We then see all of these things challenged one by one, and by the end of the book a life that seemed like it was set in stone is… somewhat less so.
I enjoyed how this book was written, I liked the narrow focus, and I definitely liked that it was shorter and tighter than Spool. The slow and lengthy progress of the novel was my main critique, so this book was a pleasant contrast. I also enjoyed Micah’s bumbling efforts to navigate interpersonal relationships, though the results were often less satisfying.
I definitely got along better with this book than I did my last Anne Tyler, but we’re still not a 100% match. The character focus was engaging, I cared about what was going to happen, I had enjoyably conflicting feelings about the main character… but I still felt a bit detached as I was reading. I wasn’t able to form the type of deep emotional bond I look for in books that really have the ability to cut me to the core, so while good, this isn’t on my all time favourites list. That said, I think if you’re a fan of Anne Tyler or if you really enjoy character studies that feature contradictory characters, this will be a great book for you!
Micah Mortimer is a creature of habit. A self-employed tech expert, superintendent of his Baltimore apartment building seems content leading a steady, circumscribed life. But one day his routines are blown apart when his woman friend 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. – Goodreads
Book Title: Redhead by the Side of the Road
Author: Anne Tyler
Series: No
Edition: Hardback/Audiobook
Published By: Knopf Publishing Group
Released: April 7, 2020
Genre: Fiction, Family, Relationships
Pages: 178
Date Read: March 12-16, 2021
Rating: 6/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.63/5 (30,859 ratings)
I’m a big Anne Tyler fan, but I’ve met some haters, so your balanced review is much appreciated! 😉
Oh good! I had a hard time writing this one. It’s always difficult when I don’t find that I connect strongly with a book, but at the same time I can appreciate that it is very well executed, and completely understand why different readers would find it brilliant. That was the case with this book. I was very glad I gave Anne Tyler another try – I do want to read more of her work in the future, because I keep feeling like I’m nearly there with here, but not quite. As a fan of hers, do you have a favourite you’d recommend that I try at some point?