There's a quiet and understated type of feeling about this novel; not much happens and it's quite a linear story without many bumps along the way, and I think this is largely attributed to the personality of our protagonist Micah Mortimer. Initially (and I mean by the end of page 1), I thought this was very reminiscent of A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman though with a younger protagonist. And I think I stand by that. Characteristics of certain characters is similar and of course, what book about a 40-something year old man would be complete without a few offhand semi-misogynistic, judge-y comments? I think this is a really important novel about family, and growth, and Micah is sort of floating in the midst of what seems like lost opportunities of relationships and family. At times you can feel the frustration other characters have for him because you feel them too, but ultimately, Micah is a character who is lost even if it's the last thing he wants to admit.

This was a quaint little book, and I really enjoyed getting lost in it. Sometimes the prose felt fragmented, but all around it was pleasant to read and I'm definitely interested in picking up more by Anne Tyler in the future!