My Year with Anne Tyler

In a bid to read more books from my shelves, I decided to read my backlist of Anne Tyler novels. Cue: My Year With Anne Tyler. I was introduced to Tyler when I read REDHEAD BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD back in 2020; it prompted me to purchase her backlist. As I was about to start my challenge, I learnt that even with this, I’d only be reading half the books she has written. In the end, I read 12 of her books this year 

Tyler’s first novel was published when she was just 23. Her next one is coming out in Feb 2025 when she will be 83. I am yet to read some of her initial novels – I’ve tried to find some second-hand copies so there’s a chance I’ll continue my journey through Tyler’s works in 2025. This prolific author has about 24 novels. From the ones I did read {all pictured}, BREATHING LESSONS won the Pulitzer prize, while THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST was adapted into a movie. 

Her stories follow families and individuals through different life stages. She explores relationships and family dynamics beautifully; her characters are flawed, endearing, sometimes frustrating, sometimes relatable, always ones you are invested in. I loved how she gets you to care about her characters. From Macon in THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, to the ensemble in DIGGING TO AMERICA, to Delia in LADDER OF YEARS, Willa in CLOCK DANCE and Michael and Pauline in THE AMATEUR MARRIAGE. Her characters make mistakes. Do things that make you sigh out loud. Do things you may dream of doing but never actually do. And you cannot help but wonder what will become of them or why they make the choices they do. And Tyler draws you in, takes you on the journey to get to know them until you are left devastated, broken-hearted, or happy. 

Almost all her stories are set in Baltimore. She has male and female protagonists and does them all justice. In DIGGING TO AMERICA, we see a bit more diversity as the premise is two different couples adopting two Korean babies. One set of couples are Caucasian while the other are Iranian. I loved the way she explored belonging and identity through this novel and later found out she was married to an Iranian man and was privy to this.

While reading Tyler, I yearned to write like her. These are the stories I like to tell. About relationships, people, families, the choices they make. I may have made notes but not always because the writing dragged me in. It does make me wonder though – I need to come back to it. Need to read more like a writer and take tips from her. How does she get into the mind of her characters? How does she get to know these families, their ins and outs, what makes them and breaks them, what influences the choices they make? 

I thought by the end of the year, I would choose my favourite Tylers but that’s a hard thing to do. If I had to narrow it down though, the ones that remained with me were THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, DIGGING TO AMERICA, THE AMATEUR MARRIAGE, FRENCH BRAID, LADDER OF YEARS, and BREATHING LESSONS. That is not to say the others weren’t memorable in their own ways. VINEGAR GIRL, a retelling of TAMING OF THE SHREW was probably the weakest for me. But every other book had carefully thought out characters that will stay with me for a long time. 

Honestly, I would love to meet Anne Tyler. I know she’s in her eighties now. I don’t think she does book tours and festivals but it would be an immense privilege to meet her. To pick her brain. To talk to her about her writing, her process, her characters.

Have you read any Anne Tyler? Any books I haven’t yet read that I should prioritise? Do tell!