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Redhead by the Side of the Road
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.
These surprises, and the ways they throw Micah's meticulously organized life off-kilter, risk changing him forever.
178 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2020
About the author
Anne Tyler
107 books7,216 followersAnne Tyler was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She graduated at nineteen from Duke University and went on to do graduate work in Russian studies at Columbia University. She has published 20 novels, her debut novel being
If Morning Ever Comes
in (1964). Her eleventh novel,
Breathing Lessons
, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,693 reviews
April 13, 2020
The only place I went wrong, he writes, was expecting things to be perfect.
I remember being in my early teens in school and our English teacher making us read Anne Tyler's Digging to America. I remember rolling my eyes, along with my classmates, because we were forced to read something so insufferably boring about everyday people living their lives and interacting with each other. So dull. Well, I don't know if it's because I'm on my way to becoming a boring old person these days, but I have been wholly charmed by both of the two Tyler books I've read as an adult.
Redhead by the Side of the Road is a little book with a lot of quiet power. A novella, I imagine, though I don't know the exact word count. It's a book about a middle-aged man called Micah Mortimer. He's a self-employed techie with a business aptly called 'Tech Hermit'. He likes order and organization. Everything in his house and in his life has its place and each day is part of a strict cleaning schedule. Thursday, for example, is "kitchen day".
Micah exasperates those around him, though he cannot understand their frustration with him. Even his somewhat finicky girlfriend is growing tired of all his ways. It reminds me of several other books that are intimate character portraits of outsiders who struggle to connect with other humans - Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, A Man Called Ove, for example - but this one is subtler and less sensationalist than either of those (don't get me wrong, I really loved both those books).
It is so tempting to look for hidden "messages" in books. And if this book does indeed have a message, I truly cannot decide if it is a caution against perfectionism and rigidity, or instead an appeal for understanding of those oddballs who have their daily lives planned down to the second. The meaning of the title suggests the former and Micah's way of life does hold him back in many ways, but this portrait of him is undeniably a compassionate one. Maybe there is no message. Just a moving story about a person who marches to his own beat.
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April 30, 2020
*3.5 Stars *
On the face of it, this story is just so darned ordinary, but Anne Tyler manages to turn the ordinary, the mundane, into extraordinary and imaginative, with her observations on the minutiae of life.
44 year old Micah lives alone in a basement flat, a very well ordered place it has to be said, this is a man who likes routine. He’s never been married, but has had a few girlfriends over the years, his latest being Cass, although he refuses to call her his ‘girlfriend ‘, at their age, she’s his ‘lady friend ‘! He has a large and noisy family of sisters and their husbands and children, but he’s still very much a loner.
Things are plodding along as they do every day for Micah, until out of the blue, a teenage boy turns up at his door hinting that Micah may be his father. This leads to a falling out with Cass, and results in him taking a long look at his life - past relationships, future relationships, and causes him to reassess the ways in which he can change life for the better.
No great mysteries here, no thrilling plot, just a keenly observed depiction of life at its most ordinary - ordinary but nevertheless interesting!
*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage Publishing for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
On the face of it, this story is just so darned ordinary, but Anne Tyler manages to turn the ordinary, the mundane, into extraordinary and imaginative, with her observations on the minutiae of life.
44 year old Micah lives alone in a basement flat, a very well ordered place it has to be said, this is a man who likes routine. He’s never been married, but has had a few girlfriends over the years, his latest being Cass, although he refuses to call her his ‘girlfriend ‘, at their age, she’s his ‘lady friend ‘! He has a large and noisy family of sisters and their husbands and children, but he’s still very much a loner.
Things are plodding along as they do every day for Micah, until out of the blue, a teenage boy turns up at his door hinting that Micah may be his father. This leads to a falling out with Cass, and results in him taking a long look at his life - past relationships, future relationships, and causes him to reassess the ways in which he can change life for the better.
No great mysteries here, no thrilling plot, just a keenly observed depiction of life at its most ordinary - ordinary but nevertheless interesting!
*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage Publishing for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
February 2, 2020
As a long time fan of Anne Tyler, I was excited to read an advanced copy of her newest novel which takes us back to her beloved Baltimore with another quirky character and I wasn’t disappointed. I couldn’t help but root for Micah Mortimer in spite of his idiosyncrasies. He has a girlfriend that he can’t bring himself to call girlfriend at his age of 44, but a “lady friend”. He has a family filled with sisters and their husbands and children . Yet, from the beginning, Micah in his neat, routine filled life seemed to me to be such a lonely man.
Within the first few pages I thought I knew pretty much everything there was to know about Micah - what he looks like, where he lives, what he does for a living, his daily routines, but of course there’s more to learn about this guy. At 44, set in his routines, he really doesn’t want a messy life, both literally in how he keeps his basement apartment and in his relationship and in his connections with people including his family. It feels as if he’s stuck in place, until a young man shows up on his doorstep, thinking that Micah might be his father. Is it too late to to realize just how lonely he is and how distant from the people in his life ? I recommend reading it to see what a wonderful job Tyler does in depicting an everyday life and character and making it feel so important in the landscape of our humanity.
Tyler is a prolific writer and I was surprised when I looked back to see that including this one, I have read twenty one of her novels over the years. I’m a fan to say the least and I suspect that other Tyler fans will rejoice with this short but affecting novel. While the stories are different, I couldn’t help but remember how much I loved some of her earlier books, especially Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and The Accidental Tourist.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Knopf Publishing Group through Edelweiss.
Within the first few pages I thought I knew pretty much everything there was to know about Micah - what he looks like, where he lives, what he does for a living, his daily routines, but of course there’s more to learn about this guy. At 44, set in his routines, he really doesn’t want a messy life, both literally in how he keeps his basement apartment and in his relationship and in his connections with people including his family. It feels as if he’s stuck in place, until a young man shows up on his doorstep, thinking that Micah might be his father. Is it too late to to realize just how lonely he is and how distant from the people in his life ? I recommend reading it to see what a wonderful job Tyler does in depicting an everyday life and character and making it feel so important in the landscape of our humanity.
Tyler is a prolific writer and I was surprised when I looked back to see that including this one, I have read twenty one of her novels over the years. I’m a fan to say the least and I suspect that other Tyler fans will rejoice with this short but affecting novel. While the stories are different, I couldn’t help but remember how much I loved some of her earlier books, especially Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and The Accidental Tourist.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Knopf Publishing Group through Edelweiss.
April 18, 2024
Sometimes when he was dealing with people, he felt like he was operating one of those claw machines on a boardwalk, those shovel things where you tried to scoop up a prize but the controls were too unwieldy and you worked at too great a remove.----------------------------------------
“Sometimes,” she said musingly, “you can think back on your life and almost believe it was laid out for you in advance, like this plain clear path you were destined to take even if it looked like nothing but brambles and stobs at the time. You know?”The Tech Hermit has a life. I guess you could call it that. Micah Mortimer, in his mid-forties, has a modest clientele, and almost makes a living from his house-call tech-support enterprise. In addition, he gets a free apartment in return for being the part-time superintendent in his Baltimore apartment building. He has a schedule he follows slavishly. Monday is floor-mopping day. Tuesday is trash day. Wednesday night he takes out the recycling bins, and dusts his apartment, strips the linens from the daybed and does his laundry. Fridays is vacuuming. He enjoys going out for a run every morning, before the streets become cluttered with people. (A preferred state. He even fantasizes about how great it would be if a neutron bomb left the landscape, but removed all those irritating humans.) He even has an undemanding girlfriend, Cass. Their get togethers are also scheduled. What is not scheduled is that she is suddenly facing eviction, and Micah is too cut off to think he should offer to let her stay with him. And then an eighteen-year-old boy shows up at his apartment, believing Micah to be his father. Definitely not on the schedule.
Anne Tyler - image from The Independent
The Redhead by the Side of the Road is Micah’s story of being jarred out of a fear-based, inert, complacent existence, and realizing that his very structured existence has left him feeling empty, lonely, and wanting more. But there are reasons why he became the defended creature he is.
You would be the same way if you’d been reared in a household where the cat slept in the roasting pan.Tyler’s look at family is always a delight, this one reminiscent of You Can’t Take It With You, or, likelier, many of her prior, award-winning novels. Maybe he was not the right person to be raised the only boy in the family, with several sisters, and a general aura of chaos.
Micah always thought that of course his sisters would choose to be waitresses. Restaurants had the same atmosphere of catastrophe that prevailed in their own homes, with pots clanking and glassware clashing and people shouting “Coming through!” and “Watch you head!” and “Help! I’m in the weeds!” A battlefield atmosphere, basically.Not helpful was a bad experience he had in a startup business, the undertaking of which entailed him leaving college early. He has also suffered serial disappointments in his dealings with entities lacking chips. The relationships he got into with women always seemed to end with her leaving and him broken. It gets tough going out there again and again, when it seems that every time you extend a hand, someone cuts it off. Keeping the blinders on is a way of staying safe. Also, a way of staying in place.
He hadn’t always thought marriage was messy. But each new girlfriend had been a kind of negative learning experience.Micah’s blinders may keep him from getting that Cass wants him to invite her to move in, and keep him oblivious to the flirtations from the 50-something dating machine in apartment 1B, and the invitations from a Tech Nerd client that have nothing to do with technical support. Jogging sans glasses, he even has trouble seeing clearly things that he passes on his run, a defective I/O system that is definitely in need of repair.
I confess I relate to Micah a fair bit, not entirely, thankfully, but enough to matter. I have suffered from a considerable swath of the sort of blindness he experiences, not to say I am exactly all better now, but I was once much, much worse. A tech guy too, although never a super, I was much more comfortable with regularity and order. There was also a blind spot when it came to reading some social clues. When Micah provides tech support to a woman who is clearly flirting with him, it does not register at all. I remember, after my first marriage ended, small flirtations did not exactly register for me, either. A woman in a Pathmark held up two cantaloupes, chest-high, and asked for my help “picking out some melons.” Yes, really. Eye roll please. In a CVS with my daughters, a woman asked for help reaching something on a high shelf. Apparently there was more to the request than I perceived. My older daughter looked impressed, “Wow, that woman was sooo flirting with you. Way to go, Pop.” I had no idea. So, I relate to Micah for his social cluelessness. That obviously banged a gong for me, made me feel for the guy. As did his tech support outings. With the amount of humanity on display in Anne Tyler’s novels, you are always likely to find a place or two where you might be able to plug in as well.
Speaking of which, Micah has written a book, First, Plug It In, the title of which warms my old techie heart. But while Micah is very well attuned to the challenges faced by his clients, and even some of the people he encounters, he does not seem able to apply that talent to himself.
Micah’s tech outings, and his superintendent outings, for that matter, highlight things that are going on in his life. One client, for example, is hoping that Micah can fix his printer, but it is ancient and wants replacing entirely. As in a change is clearly needed here. In another he finds a solution to a client’s puzzle in poring through some old materials in her home. Maybe something else could use some re-examination?
The writing is exquisite, of course, with Tyler offering details that tell us much about her characters. One that made me laugh out loud was when Micah is irked that one of the tenants had, yet again, not flattened out their cardboard refuse, as required by the local sanitation agency, his internal gripe ending with “some people; they just didn’t have a clue.”
Sometimes plugging it in is not enough. Second, you also have to switch it on. The question in Redhead… is whether Micah will be able to manage both steps, allow himself to perceive his own painful feelings, then do something about it. He is an appealing character, and you will want to find out if he can manage the necessary repairs to his life. In an interview with Writers Digest, Tyler was asked about the endearing characters that populate her novels:
Sometimes I don’t manage to keep them endearing, and if that happens, I ditch them. It takes me two or three years to write a novel. I certainly don’t want to spend all that time living with someone unlikable.One thing about that 24-36 month duration is that the author puts every one of those months to good use. This is a short book, coming in at a crisp 192 pages. Like many masters of her trade, Tyler is adept at honing her output down to only the necessary.
She has been living in and writing about Baltimore and families for over fifty years. Redhead by the Side of the Road is her twenty-third novel. She is best known for Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, her ninth, which was a finalist for both a Pulitzer and a Pen/Faulkner award. Ten times was the charm apparently, as her next one, The Accidental Tourist, won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Ambassador Book Award, and was a finalist again for the Pulitzer. Number eleven, Breathing Lessons, finally netted her the Pulitzer.
If you have read Tyler before, this one will fit like a USB plug into a USB socket. It is short, sweet, and moving. Fans of Matthew Quick will also find this book very appealing. This is one Redhead you will definitely want to pick up.
Review first posted – April 3, 2020
Publication date – April 7, 2020
I received a pre-release e-book of this novel from Knopf Doubleday, but I was not entirely certain what they meant by letting me have it.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal and FB pages
Interviews
-----Independent – July 6, 2018 - Anne Tyler interview: 'I had no intention of becoming a writer' by Charles McGrath
-----The Guardian – July 14, 2018 - Anne Tyler: ‘Wuthering Heights strikes me as silly’ by Lisa O’Kelly
-----BookBrowse – 1998 - An interview with Anne Tyler
-----Writers Digest - Anne Tyler’s Tips on Writing Strong (yet Flawed) Characters by Jessica Strawser
Items of Interest
-----An excerpt
-----Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance
-----You Can’t Take It With You
-----Read It Forward – 2016- Where to Start When Reading Anne Tyler by Martin Wilson
In an interview in 1976, discussing Faulkner, Tyler said, “If it were possible to write like him I wouldn’t. I disagree with him. I want everyone to understand what I’m getting at.” As Katharine Whittemore wrote of Tyler in a superb essay in the Atlantic in 2001, “She never dazzles or blinds us with her prose. . . . Instead the quiet accretion of her insights hits one in the chest.”-----July 27, 2020 - Redhead is named to the longlist for the Booker Prize
And thanks to MC
July 28, 2020
On the Booker Prize Longlist!
Anne Tyler excels in her grasp of the low key ordinary everyday lives of her characters and their relationships, as she demonstrates in this beautifully observed and astute novel that focuses on 44 year old Micah Mortimer. He is living in a ultra clean, well ordered, basement flat in Baltimore, a maintenance superintendent of his block of apartments, whilst running his one man tech business, Tech Hermit, addressing the tech needs and repairs of his local clientele. His OCD daily routines are adhered to rigidly, from his early morning run, to putting out the trash bins, and to the various aspects of cleaning his apartment. His finickiness makes him the butt of good natured family banter and teasing, unlike him, his sisters, Ade, Suze, Liz and Norma with their families are the complete opposite of him with their messy homes and chaotic lives.
Micah has been in a relationship with school teacher, Cassia Slade, for three years, emotionally, he is naturally inclined to keep his distance from others, although he cannot escape the likes of Yolanda, one of the tenants, who regales her latest dating experiences and her unflagging optimism in the face of so much failure. He shows compassion towards the cancer suffering Luella Carter, and imagines himself being congratulated by the traffic gods for his safe, considerate and cautious driving. Life begins to slip away from him when Cass informs him of her fear of eviction after her cat, Whiskers, is discovered and the son of an old college flame, Lorna Bartell, the rich and entitled 18 year old, Brink Bartell Adams, turns up out of the blue on his doorstep. Cass is less than impressed when Micah treats her dilemma so lightly and fails to step up by offering her a home with him, whilst Brink is convinced Micah is his father, even though he had never slept with Laura.
Micah becomes the conduit for Brink reconnecting back with his parents, he finally opens up about the problems he is facing at college, and Micah learns that his perception of his and Laura's college relationship was far from accurate. When Cass breaks up with him, Micah is bewildered as to the reasons why, and slightly miffed that his family is taking her side. His carefully ordered life begin to fall apart as the emotional messiness of life cuts deep, he really loves Cass, and desperately misses her, as he imagines his barren future without her. He begins to yearn for company to assuage his loneliness, will he be able to overcome the habits of a lifetime to get Cass back? This is a sublime read with oodles of charm, of a middle aged Micah, who begins to embrace the natural messiness and chaos of life and relationships. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.
Anne Tyler excels in her grasp of the low key ordinary everyday lives of her characters and their relationships, as she demonstrates in this beautifully observed and astute novel that focuses on 44 year old Micah Mortimer. He is living in a ultra clean, well ordered, basement flat in Baltimore, a maintenance superintendent of his block of apartments, whilst running his one man tech business, Tech Hermit, addressing the tech needs and repairs of his local clientele. His OCD daily routines are adhered to rigidly, from his early morning run, to putting out the trash bins, and to the various aspects of cleaning his apartment. His finickiness makes him the butt of good natured family banter and teasing, unlike him, his sisters, Ade, Suze, Liz and Norma with their families are the complete opposite of him with their messy homes and chaotic lives.
Micah has been in a relationship with school teacher, Cassia Slade, for three years, emotionally, he is naturally inclined to keep his distance from others, although he cannot escape the likes of Yolanda, one of the tenants, who regales her latest dating experiences and her unflagging optimism in the face of so much failure. He shows compassion towards the cancer suffering Luella Carter, and imagines himself being congratulated by the traffic gods for his safe, considerate and cautious driving. Life begins to slip away from him when Cass informs him of her fear of eviction after her cat, Whiskers, is discovered and the son of an old college flame, Lorna Bartell, the rich and entitled 18 year old, Brink Bartell Adams, turns up out of the blue on his doorstep. Cass is less than impressed when Micah treats her dilemma so lightly and fails to step up by offering her a home with him, whilst Brink is convinced Micah is his father, even though he had never slept with Laura.
Micah becomes the conduit for Brink reconnecting back with his parents, he finally opens up about the problems he is facing at college, and Micah learns that his perception of his and Laura's college relationship was far from accurate. When Cass breaks up with him, Micah is bewildered as to the reasons why, and slightly miffed that his family is taking her side. His carefully ordered life begin to fall apart as the emotional messiness of life cuts deep, he really loves Cass, and desperately misses her, as he imagines his barren future without her. He begins to yearn for company to assuage his loneliness, will he be able to overcome the habits of a lifetime to get Cass back? This is a sublime read with oodles of charm, of a middle aged Micah, who begins to embrace the natural messiness and chaos of life and relationships. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.
October 6, 2023
Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler, MacLeod Andrews (Narrator)
This story won't be for everyone. It's on the short side and it's one of those tales where it seems that not much happens. If Micah Mortimer has his way, nothing will ever happen because Micha is a creature of habit.
Micah loves routine. Now in his mid forties, he runs in cutoff shorts when it's warm and in jeans when it's cold. He has a cleaning routine that he follows faithfully, whether anything needs to be cleaned or not. He has a lady friend and they have rules, not to be broken, not necessarily ever spoken, just rules that will keep them on an even keel with never a reason to change where they are going, what they are doing, how they feel about things.
Micah has been dumped in the past and he can't figure out why, each time it happens. He goes through life not noticing much of anything, if he can help it. Sometimes his conscience will niggle him a little bit but he just keeps on with his routine life and doesn't let niggles interfere with his routine. Micah always acts cheery, he has a cheery retort for almost anything that is ever said to him, just cheerful Micah, routinely going through life.
A part of me understands Micah but I also know that he's on a lonely path that he can't keep up forever. Several things happen that make him face where he is going and what he is really doing to himself and others. He can't ignore things when an eighteen year old plops himself down on Micah's sofa, He does ignore the niggle when his lady friend is afraid of being evicted from her home. Both these things set Micah on a path where his routine is thrown off course, where he can or cannot take action, where he actually has to think about what he's going to do and if he wants to keep on the path he's traveling.
This slice of life story might be too boring for some folks but it's the kind of thing I enjoy. A character study of a man who has made up his mind to never change, never veer off his safe path. I was afraid we wouldn't get an "ending" but we did and I'm really liked it.
Published April 7th 2020 by Random House Audio
This story won't be for everyone. It's on the short side and it's one of those tales where it seems that not much happens. If Micah Mortimer has his way, nothing will ever happen because Micha is a creature of habit.
Micah loves routine. Now in his mid forties, he runs in cutoff shorts when it's warm and in jeans when it's cold. He has a cleaning routine that he follows faithfully, whether anything needs to be cleaned or not. He has a lady friend and they have rules, not to be broken, not necessarily ever spoken, just rules that will keep them on an even keel with never a reason to change where they are going, what they are doing, how they feel about things.
Micah has been dumped in the past and he can't figure out why, each time it happens. He goes through life not noticing much of anything, if he can help it. Sometimes his conscience will niggle him a little bit but he just keeps on with his routine life and doesn't let niggles interfere with his routine. Micah always acts cheery, he has a cheery retort for almost anything that is ever said to him, just cheerful Micah, routinely going through life.
A part of me understands Micah but I also know that he's on a lonely path that he can't keep up forever. Several things happen that make him face where he is going and what he is really doing to himself and others. He can't ignore things when an eighteen year old plops himself down on Micah's sofa, He does ignore the niggle when his lady friend is afraid of being evicted from her home. Both these things set Micah on a path where his routine is thrown off course, where he can or cannot take action, where he actually has to think about what he's going to do and if he wants to keep on the path he's traveling.
This slice of life story might be too boring for some folks but it's the kind of thing I enjoy. A character study of a man who has made up his mind to never change, never veer off his safe path. I was afraid we wouldn't get an "ending" but we did and I'm really liked it.
Published April 7th 2020 by Random House Audio
May 20, 2021
“You have to wonder what goes through the mind of a man like Micah Mortimer.”
He’s a rather ordinary man but I’ve said it before and will say it again....Anne Tyler is one of the few authors who can write about the ordinary in an extraordinary way.
Micah is a middle-aged perfectionist. His days are regimented. Everything must be strictly scheduled, orderly and perfect in his world. “Maybe he was one skipped vacuuming day away from chaos.”
But people are messy and Micah often misses social cues. Is it any wonder that he struggles with his relationships?
"Sometimes when he was dealing with people, he felt like he was operating one of those claw machines on a boardwalk, those shovel things where you tried to scoop up a prize but the controls were too unwieldy and you worked at too great a remove."
Unexpected events and a surprise visitor threatens to upset his orderly life and causes him to look at the world differently. At first glance Micah is annoying and goofy but Tyler treats her subjects with such understanding and compassion, with a side of wry humor that endears her characters to us.
I won’t ruin the surprise but I loved the meaning behind the title. It’s all about perspective and his inability to see things clearly. He tries so hard to not get it wrong but ends up getting it all wrong. “The only place I went wrong, he writes, was expecting things to be perfect.” Poignant yet hopeful, perhaps there is hope for Micah’s rigid OCD heart.
Coming in at just under 200 pages, this is a quiet, charming story with surprising depth that is sure to please Anne Tyler’s fans. It’s one I could have happily started over and read again, and for that I bumped it up to 5 stars.
He’s a rather ordinary man but I’ve said it before and will say it again....Anne Tyler is one of the few authors who can write about the ordinary in an extraordinary way.
Micah is a middle-aged perfectionist. His days are regimented. Everything must be strictly scheduled, orderly and perfect in his world. “Maybe he was one skipped vacuuming day away from chaos.”
But people are messy and Micah often misses social cues. Is it any wonder that he struggles with his relationships?
"Sometimes when he was dealing with people, he felt like he was operating one of those claw machines on a boardwalk, those shovel things where you tried to scoop up a prize but the controls were too unwieldy and you worked at too great a remove."
Unexpected events and a surprise visitor threatens to upset his orderly life and causes him to look at the world differently. At first glance Micah is annoying and goofy but Tyler treats her subjects with such understanding and compassion, with a side of wry humor that endears her characters to us.
I won’t ruin the surprise but I loved the meaning behind the title. It’s all about perspective and his inability to see things clearly. He tries so hard to not get it wrong but ends up getting it all wrong. “The only place I went wrong, he writes, was expecting things to be perfect.” Poignant yet hopeful, perhaps there is hope for Micah’s rigid OCD heart.
Coming in at just under 200 pages, this is a quiet, charming story with surprising depth that is sure to please Anne Tyler’s fans. It’s one I could have happily started over and read again, and for that I bumped it up to 5 stars.
April 14, 2020
3.5 Smooth as butter. First thing I noticed as I started reading was how seamlessly this novel flowed. Micah is a common man, a rather ordinary person albeit with a few quirks. He has a solid schedule on how his housework gets done, certain days for certain chores. I thought this might be an enviable quirk which with to live. A detailed housekeeping husband. Though I'm sure that within a short period of time his perfectionism would irk me terribly. I'm having enough trouble with the non perfectionist with which I am now quarantined.
Anyway, Micah runs his own IT business, so he has plenty of time for other things. He is in his forties and in a relationship that is showing stress. A few unexpected events will confront Micah, causing him to re-evaluate himself and his life.
No big thriller scenes, deaths to be solved, illnesses to conquer, just a solid story, done well. A fun, quirky family provides a little humor. The ways and means of a ordinary life.
ARC from Edelweiss.
Anyway, Micah runs his own IT business, so he has plenty of time for other things. He is in his forties and in a relationship that is showing stress. A few unexpected events will confront Micah, causing him to re-evaluate himself and his life.
No big thriller scenes, deaths to be solved, illnesses to conquer, just a solid story, done well. A fun, quirky family provides a little humor. The ways and means of a ordinary life.
ARC from Edelweiss.
August 8, 2020
BOOKER PRIZE 2020 LONGLISTED
Redhead by the Side of the Road is a short, character-driven novel, charming and wry, with endearing characters whose quirks are relatable and not overdone. This is undemanding reading, where you can feel at ease in the deft hands of a veteran storyteller. It’s the book equivalent of afternoon tea: comforting and enjoyable, but not really a meal.
At age 78, Tyler makes a valiant effort but—despite name-checking Uber and Facebook—doesn’t quite succeed in convincingly setting this book in the present day. Main character Micah is an I.T. fixit guy whose clients come to him with tech problems from the 1990s. (Sidenote: I’m convinced one of Micah’s clients is a fraudster, but neither Micah nor Anne Tyler seems to know it.) Meanwhile all the characters seem like they are from several decades earlier. I actually didn’t mind this lack of verisimilitude—while it wasn’t very realistic, the story was quaint and sweet and harkens back to a simpler time. The literary style too, is very 20th century.
Where this novel dropped from a probable 4 stars to just 3 was its length. This could have been a moving, slice-of-life short story OR a longer, more fully realised novel. As is, the resolutions feel too easy and the characters’ development unearned. Still, I enjoyed my time with Redhead by the Side of the Road, its quietude a respite from other flashier or more emotionally draining fiction.
Redhead by the Side of the Road is a short, character-driven novel, charming and wry, with endearing characters whose quirks are relatable and not overdone. This is undemanding reading, where you can feel at ease in the deft hands of a veteran storyteller. It’s the book equivalent of afternoon tea: comforting and enjoyable, but not really a meal.
At age 78, Tyler makes a valiant effort but—despite name-checking Uber and Facebook—doesn’t quite succeed in convincingly setting this book in the present day. Main character Micah is an I.T. fixit guy whose clients come to him with tech problems from the 1990s. (Sidenote: I’m convinced one of Micah’s clients is a fraudster, but neither Micah nor Anne Tyler seems to know it.) Meanwhile all the characters seem like they are from several decades earlier. I actually didn’t mind this lack of verisimilitude—while it wasn’t very realistic, the story was quaint and sweet and harkens back to a simpler time. The literary style too, is very 20th century.
Where this novel dropped from a probable 4 stars to just 3 was its length. This could have been a moving, slice-of-life short story OR a longer, more fully realised novel. As is, the resolutions feel too easy and the characters’ development unearned. Still, I enjoyed my time with Redhead by the Side of the Road, its quietude a respite from other flashier or more emotionally draining fiction.
May 20, 2020
4 Stars
Sometimes, in the Ordinary, lies the Extraordinary.
Micah Mortimer is a single man in his mid forties. A self-made man who is the “Super” at the apartment building he resides at, and who also owns his own business: “Tech-Hermit” He lives a simple life and is a creature of habit. In short, he likes what he likes, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The day his lady friend Cass calls and informs him that she’s in danger of losing her apartment, things change in more ways than one. The first, is that she is looking for more support than he can provide and the second is that a teenager shows up at Micah’s apartment in need of help. Each situation puts a strain on Micah’s routine, neither of which he likes. One leaving him feeling unsettled inside and the other disrupting his everyday life.
What Anne Tyler does so well here is to show us how to find beauty in regular ordinary life. She navigates the waters of family, relationships and unexplored feelings in a simple thought provoking way.
“Redhead by the Side of the Road” is a well written, character driven novel that is both easy to read and complex at the same time. This novel is poignant, humorous and incredibly touching and is one I highly recommend.
A huge thank you to Mimi at Goodreads for the galley.
Published on Goodreads and Amazon on 5.17.20
Sometimes, in the Ordinary, lies the Extraordinary.
Micah Mortimer is a single man in his mid forties. A self-made man who is the “Super” at the apartment building he resides at, and who also owns his own business: “Tech-Hermit” He lives a simple life and is a creature of habit. In short, he likes what he likes, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The day his lady friend Cass calls and informs him that she’s in danger of losing her apartment, things change in more ways than one. The first, is that she is looking for more support than he can provide and the second is that a teenager shows up at Micah’s apartment in need of help. Each situation puts a strain on Micah’s routine, neither of which he likes. One leaving him feeling unsettled inside and the other disrupting his everyday life.
What Anne Tyler does so well here is to show us how to find beauty in regular ordinary life. She navigates the waters of family, relationships and unexplored feelings in a simple thought provoking way.
“Redhead by the Side of the Road” is a well written, character driven novel that is both easy to read and complex at the same time. This novel is poignant, humorous and incredibly touching and is one I highly recommend.
A huge thank you to Mimi at Goodreads for the galley.
Published on Goodreads and Amazon on 5.17.20
May 3, 2020
Tender, touching, and revealing....
a novel that can be gulped whole in one sitting.
Anne Tyler packs the power of authenticity — creating an honest portrayal of the trials and triumphs associated with the ordinary strands of personal identity, and family.
With a sharp sense of character and humor...
a question I thought about was....
how does one man respond to change?
Fortuitous encounters can be deceptions in disguise....
Tyler created a fictional world of the ordinary.
Her prose is deceptively simple, with the quality of eavesdropping on a person’s private mutterings....
her insights are mixed dense with life.
Anne Tyler’s style aims straight for the heart.... with astonishing ease.
Some of her books I like more than others.
I genuinely care for Anne Tyler ... and appreciate her body-of-work humanitarian contributions.
3.5 rating.
a novel that can be gulped whole in one sitting.
Anne Tyler packs the power of authenticity — creating an honest portrayal of the trials and triumphs associated with the ordinary strands of personal identity, and family.
With a sharp sense of character and humor...
a question I thought about was....
how does one man respond to change?
Fortuitous encounters can be deceptions in disguise....
Tyler created a fictional world of the ordinary.
Her prose is deceptively simple, with the quality of eavesdropping on a person’s private mutterings....
her insights are mixed dense with life.
Anne Tyler’s style aims straight for the heart.... with astonishing ease.
Some of her books I like more than others.
I genuinely care for Anne Tyler ... and appreciate her body-of-work humanitarian contributions.
3.5 rating.
May 2, 2021
I can't think of a more comforting writer than Anne Tyler. There's something reassuringly familiar about her work, which is very satisfying during a time of fear and uncertainty.
For Tyler fans (we are a loyal bunch), Micah Mortimer, the protagonist of her 23rd – TWENTY-THIRD!! – novel, might seem familiar, too. There are shades of The Accidental Tourist's Macon Leary about him, or Breathing Lessons' Ira Moran or The Amateur Marriage's Michael Anton.
He's a 40-something bachelor who's both the superintendent of a small north Baltimore three-storey building and the owner of a computer repair firm called TECH HERMIT. Hermit is an apt word. Micah, who lives alone and is the only employee of his company, likes routine and order, is slightly eccentric – he often speaks in a mock French accent, and imagines a Traffic God commenting on his impeccable driving skills and etiquette – and can't quite see what's right in front of him.
In fact, the title is a reference to this bad sight – both literal and metaphorical. During his morning jogs, he runs without his glasses so he can't make out details, constantly mistaking a fire hydrant for a short little "redhead by the side of the road."
When two things disrupt his life, he is suddenly, inexplicably unmoored.
First, his "woman friend" Cass ("he refused to call anyone in her late thirties a 'girlfriend'") tells him she may be evicted, and his chilly response makes her question their relationship; then a young college student shows up at his doorstep, claiming Micah is his biological father.
Tyler makes both of these incidents full of absorbing drama. Micah is, at heart, a decent, well-meaning guy, but he's really inept at reading people, especially women. The appearance of the student, named Brink, makes him think of Brink's mother, whom Micah dated in college. This gets him wondering why his relationships have never gone anywhere.
While her plot is concerned with resolving both of these storylines, Tyler effortlessly fills in the book with other details: all the customers Micah has to deal with are distinct, relatable and memorable; he also interacts with several of the landlord's tenants, including a middle-aged woman who's constantly on the lookout for dating prospects.
And in the middle of the novel, Tyler presents one of her magnificent extended family scenes, in which we meet Micah's boisterous sisters, taciturn brothers-in-law and other relatives and we begin to understand how and why he turned out the way he is.
The novel is only 200 pages, but it's so full of life and human truths that it expands in your mind. It's smaller-scaled than Tyler's masterpiece, the ambitious and transcendent Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. But it's just as wise, just as observant, and just as comforting.
For Tyler fans (we are a loyal bunch), Micah Mortimer, the protagonist of her 23rd – TWENTY-THIRD!! – novel, might seem familiar, too. There are shades of The Accidental Tourist's Macon Leary about him, or Breathing Lessons' Ira Moran or The Amateur Marriage's Michael Anton.
He's a 40-something bachelor who's both the superintendent of a small north Baltimore three-storey building and the owner of a computer repair firm called TECH HERMIT. Hermit is an apt word. Micah, who lives alone and is the only employee of his company, likes routine and order, is slightly eccentric – he often speaks in a mock French accent, and imagines a Traffic God commenting on his impeccable driving skills and etiquette – and can't quite see what's right in front of him.
In fact, the title is a reference to this bad sight – both literal and metaphorical. During his morning jogs, he runs without his glasses so he can't make out details, constantly mistaking a fire hydrant for a short little "redhead by the side of the road."
When two things disrupt his life, he is suddenly, inexplicably unmoored.
First, his "woman friend" Cass ("he refused to call anyone in her late thirties a 'girlfriend'") tells him she may be evicted, and his chilly response makes her question their relationship; then a young college student shows up at his doorstep, claiming Micah is his biological father.
Tyler makes both of these incidents full of absorbing drama. Micah is, at heart, a decent, well-meaning guy, but he's really inept at reading people, especially women. The appearance of the student, named Brink, makes him think of Brink's mother, whom Micah dated in college. This gets him wondering why his relationships have never gone anywhere.
While her plot is concerned with resolving both of these storylines, Tyler effortlessly fills in the book with other details: all the customers Micah has to deal with are distinct, relatable and memorable; he also interacts with several of the landlord's tenants, including a middle-aged woman who's constantly on the lookout for dating prospects.
And in the middle of the novel, Tyler presents one of her magnificent extended family scenes, in which we meet Micah's boisterous sisters, taciturn brothers-in-law and other relatives and we begin to understand how and why he turned out the way he is.
The novel is only 200 pages, but it's so full of life and human truths that it expands in your mind. It's smaller-scaled than Tyler's masterpiece, the ambitious and transcendent Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. But it's just as wise, just as observant, and just as comforting.
April 26, 2020
Does anyone create characters who are set in their ways (okay, you can call them curmudgeons) as well as Anne Tyler?
“Sometimes when he was dealing with people, he felt like he was operating one of those claw machines on a boardwalk, those shovel things where you tried to scoop up a prize but the controls were too unwieldy and you worked at too great a remove.”
Micah Mortimer is in his 40s, but he’s very particular about how his life operates. The owner of a (very) modest tech support business and the live-in superintendent of his apartment building, he’s one of those people who lives by his routines, is usually cautious and polite, and is an excellent driver, and he makes no apologies for any of it.
One day a college student shows up at his front door claiming that Micah might be his father. And on that same day, his relationship with his “woman friend” Cass (he doesn’t believe a woman over 30 should be called a “girlfriend”) starts deteriorating and he can’t figure out why.
Over the course of a few days, things start to go awry, and Micah begins to question his life. Is he alone because he never found the right person or because he hasn’t been the right person? Does it really matter in the end, or is his life fulfilling enough? If he is the problem, how can he change when he's so comfortable with his life?
Anne Tyler once again proves her strength in character development and storytelling with her latest book. This is about 200 pages long and nothing catastrophic or earth-shattering occurs, but Micah is such a fascinating, complex character that I was hooked completely. We all know people like Micah and the supporting characters in this book, and most of us have thought similarly to Micah every now and again.
Redhead by the Side of the Road was warm and thought-provoking and it once again reminded me how much I love the way Tyler writes. She is truly a treasure.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
“Sometimes when he was dealing with people, he felt like he was operating one of those claw machines on a boardwalk, those shovel things where you tried to scoop up a prize but the controls were too unwieldy and you worked at too great a remove.”
Micah Mortimer is in his 40s, but he’s very particular about how his life operates. The owner of a (very) modest tech support business and the live-in superintendent of his apartment building, he’s one of those people who lives by his routines, is usually cautious and polite, and is an excellent driver, and he makes no apologies for any of it.
One day a college student shows up at his front door claiming that Micah might be his father. And on that same day, his relationship with his “woman friend” Cass (he doesn’t believe a woman over 30 should be called a “girlfriend”) starts deteriorating and he can’t figure out why.
Over the course of a few days, things start to go awry, and Micah begins to question his life. Is he alone because he never found the right person or because he hasn’t been the right person? Does it really matter in the end, or is his life fulfilling enough? If he is the problem, how can he change when he's so comfortable with his life?
Anne Tyler once again proves her strength in character development and storytelling with her latest book. This is about 200 pages long and nothing catastrophic or earth-shattering occurs, but Micah is such a fascinating, complex character that I was hooked completely. We all know people like Micah and the supporting characters in this book, and most of us have thought similarly to Micah every now and again.
Redhead by the Side of the Road was warm and thought-provoking and it once again reminded me how much I love the way Tyler writes. She is truly a treasure.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
October 7, 2020
Somehow I always feel safe when I pick up a novel by this author (and I have read a lot of them by now). I know the writing will be impeccable, the story will be low stress, and mostly it will be about interesting people and their everyday lives and relationships.
The central character in Redhead by the Side of the Road is Micah and he is one of those individuals so loved by current authors - someone who is probably somewhere on the Spectrum but who still functions in society and in fact has many appealing characteristics. I really enjoyed Micah with his strict obsessive routines and his total inability to read nuances in relationships.
This was a short but sweet book, all very real, and sad and heartwarming in equal measure. As the reader I wanted him to be happy and must admit to a few tears at the end. (Happy ones or sad? You must read the book and find out)
The central character in Redhead by the Side of the Road is Micah and he is one of those individuals so loved by current authors - someone who is probably somewhere on the Spectrum but who still functions in society and in fact has many appealing characteristics. I really enjoyed Micah with his strict obsessive routines and his total inability to read nuances in relationships.
This was a short but sweet book, all very real, and sad and heartwarming in equal measure. As the reader I wanted him to be happy and must admit to a few tears at the end. (Happy ones or sad? You must read the book and find out)
December 5, 2020
“I’ve done everything wrong,” he tells her. “I was trying to make no mistakes at all and look at where it got me.”You can say that this is a less whimsical iteration of A Man Called Ove, and you won’t be very wrong. You can say that this is a touching story about a “narrow and limited man; so closed off”, a man who “has nothing to look forward to, nothing to daydream about”, who will eventually start to change, and you won’t be wrong. You can also say that this is basically a less sugary than usual Hallmark movie put to paper, when that narrow and limited man learns to accept happiness - and you also won’t be wrong. Or you can say that it’s a pretty mundane story of a rigid and disciplined man who has been unlucky in love and has difficulties relating to the world, the person we love making fun of (think The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper and his laundry schedule) and who is learning to become a more socially acceptable version of himself because of the pressure the world hostile to those who are a bit different puts on him — and you won’t be wrong either.
“I don’t know how you can say that,” Suze told him. “If I weren’t on Facebook, I wouldn’t know what a single high-school friend of mine was up to.”
“You care what your high-school friends are up to?” Micah asked.”
I ask the same thing, buddy. I ask the same thing.
Micah Mortimer is a forty-something man who lives alone in his spotless apartment, has certain cleaning tasks on certain days, owns a one-man “Tech Hermit” company, prefers his life on a strict schedule, is uncomfortable with mess and clutter, doesn’t drive over the speed limit and is not very good at social interactions. He wishes people would actually say what they mean and not play the mind games when they expect you pick up their hints. He’s a bit lonely as his romantic partners tend to eventually leave him. He judges people when they act a bit ridiculous. He’s a regimented introvert, which our society tends to view as strange, and his own family mocks him a bit (and he patiently takes being the butt of their jokes in stride).
“The only place I went wrong, he writes, was expecting things to be perfect.”
But apparently his biggest fault (as the book wants us to believe) is that he judges himself and the others by too harsh of standards.
“The point I’m trying to make,” Ada said, “is it’s not so much about whether a person is messy or neat. It’s whether they’re accepting or they’re not accepting of the way things happen to be. What we accepting ones know to say is, ‘It is what it is, in the end.’ ”
“Well, I call that pretty discouraging,” Micah said. “What’s the point of living if you don’t try to do things better?”
We see about a week in Micah’s life — his breakup with his girlfriend (yes, he is clueless), a dinner with relatives, and a few encounters with a runaway teenage boy (who is a spoiled rich lacrosse-playing brat named Brink, which tells you everything there is to know about him). And it all leads to a much-awaited realization for him that nobody is perfect and you should adjust your expectations accordingly.
It’s an easy read, engrossing even as my brain helplessly tries to figure out why there is so much of minutia of Micah’s life crammed into every sentence. By the end of it I feel like I know every little habit and action of Micah’s — but somehow it does not seem as annoying as it should have been. It’s measured and calm and quite melancholic, just like Micah’s character is. This is a perfect example of book’s atmosphere creating a perfect view into the character’s mood and feelings, and I actually loved that.
“Like most families, the Mortimers believed that their family was more fascinating than anybody else’s. In a way, even Micah believed it, although he pretended not to.”
And yet I felt a bit irritated that just as usual, a character who is a bit different from what we perceive is the norm ends up miserable unless he’s willing to change and upset his inner balance. Just like a Hallmark movie, when you learn to do something that is more acceptable to the society, you are rewarded with a bit of happiness. And I doubt that it’s actually going to work long-term for someone with Micah’s personality, even if it makes for a heartwarming ending. Because it seems that *only Micah* needs to step out of his comfort zone to meet the world, and he’s at fault for looking for perfection and frustrating everyone around him whose standards are different and more conventional — but the rest of the world is allowed to remain in that same comfort zone that Micah, due to his a bit different worldview, is not entitled to. And that left a bit of sour taste for me mixed with the sugary ending.
“You have to wonder what goes through the mind of such a man. Such a narrow and limited man; so closed off. He has nothing to look forward to, nothing to daydream about.”
In the end, I think this book is firmly against the person Micah originally was. A bit of a sympathetic portrayal of a slightly odd and yet good person that was going on at the beginning seems to have petered out as the “get out of the comfort zone” ending comes close, and I was a bit disappointed with that. Just because you are a very ordered oddball does not mean that you are incapable of happiness unless you change. Life is messy and chaotic (I would know, I’m a prime example of both of those) but it does not have to exclude those who aren’t. Because I happen to agree with a peripheral character who rightfully pegs “old” Micah as a good guy — and I found it telling that Micah is surprised, expecting the usual criticism, since it seems to be what everyone else does:
“You had traits in common with Micah,” Roger repeated slowly.
Micah stiffened. He was about to take serious offense.
“With a man who earns his own living,” Roger said. “Who appears to be self-sufficient. Who works very hard, I assume, and expects no handouts.”
I find it difficult to give it a star rating as I both loved the atmosphere of the story and was equally irritated by its message (at least as interpreted by the messy chaotic me). Also - what’s the point of Brink’s story?
But it was well-done and elicited quite strong emotions and made me think, and therefore, even if I don’t agree with it, I give it 3.5 stars.
July 3, 2020
Micah Mortimer, 44 years old. Not a people person, he lives alone. He appreciates order, takes pride in his tidiness, and his careful attention to driving is second to none. He does not eschew women, but the years have not yielded one who is the perfect companion for him. Getting older now, he is starting feel a vague sense of dissatisfaction with his life. He's missing out on what would make things just right, but cannot seem to fix it.
Just over 50 years ago, I was taking a Home Economics class in high school. Mrs. Moore taught us two hard and fast rules, she opined that they would serve us well when we had our own home to manage. 1 - A place for everything, and everything in its place. 2 - Pick it up, put it away, NOW. Micah Mortimer must have been a fly on the wall during those classes.
Just over 50 years ago, I was taking a Home Economics class in high school. Mrs. Moore taught us two hard and fast rules, she opined that they would serve us well when we had our own home to manage. 1 - A place for everything, and everything in its place. 2 - Pick it up, put it away, NOW. Micah Mortimer must have been a fly on the wall during those classes.
April 6, 2020
Anne Tyler’s new novel, “Redhead by the Side of the Road,” is either wholly irrelevant or just what we need — or possibly both. Slight and slightly charming, it’s like the cherry Jell-O that Mom serves when you’re feeling under the weather. Not much of a meal, perhaps, but who could handle more now?
The milquetoast protagonist is Micah Mortimer, “a tall, bony man in his early forties with not-so-good posture.” He lives in a basement apartment in Baltimore, which over the course of more than 20 novels has become Tyler’s Yoknapatawpha. Gilded with a patina of quirkiness, Micah is a self-employed computer fix-it guy. Tellingly, he calls himself the Tech Hermit. He repairs elderly folks’ PCs, sometimes by turning them off and turning them back on.
At the opening, Tyler says, “You have to wonder what goes through the mind of a man like Micah Mortimer,” but she doesn’t wonder very hard. “He keeps to himself,” she says. “His routine is etched in stone.” He rises, runs, eats breakfast and answers a few calls. Monday is trash night. “Micah prided himself on his. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
The milquetoast protagonist is Micah Mortimer, “a tall, bony man in his early forties with not-so-good posture.” He lives in a basement apartment in Baltimore, which over the course of more than 20 novels has become Tyler’s Yoknapatawpha. Gilded with a patina of quirkiness, Micah is a self-employed computer fix-it guy. Tellingly, he calls himself the Tech Hermit. He repairs elderly folks’ PCs, sometimes by turning them off and turning them back on.
At the opening, Tyler says, “You have to wonder what goes through the mind of a man like Micah Mortimer,” but she doesn’t wonder very hard. “He keeps to himself,” she says. “His routine is etched in stone.” He rises, runs, eats breakfast and answers a few calls. Monday is trash night. “Micah prided himself on his. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
August 5, 2020
Redhead by the Side of the Road is Tyler’s signature style I’ve come to know and love — She makes the ordinary interesting and captures humans being human so well.
Micah Mortimer is a 44 year old with his own tech repair business and serves as the super at his apartment complex. He has a lady friend (read: girlfriend), Cass, and he likes to stick to his routine which includes running each morning and completing a designated household task every day. Micah is a simple man, kind and mostly keeping to himself though he does have a large family he is close enough with.
One day while going about his routine, Micah finds an unexpected visitor at his home, Brink. He is the college-aged son of a former girlfriend of Micah’s and in search of his biological father. Around the same time, Cass shares a prediction she will be kicked out of her apartment due to her pet cat, kept against the landlord’s rules. As a creature of habit, Micah is not prepared for either of these unplanned happenings but attempts to deal with them, the best way he knows how, being the person he is.
Redhead by the Side of the Road is short and held my interest. I liked Micah and his quieter, easy going demeanor. Though I usually prefer a little more closure to the conclusion of a story, I felt this one was very fitting and the book was well worth the read.
Micah Mortimer is a 44 year old with his own tech repair business and serves as the super at his apartment complex. He has a lady friend (read: girlfriend), Cass, and he likes to stick to his routine which includes running each morning and completing a designated household task every day. Micah is a simple man, kind and mostly keeping to himself though he does have a large family he is close enough with.
One day while going about his routine, Micah finds an unexpected visitor at his home, Brink. He is the college-aged son of a former girlfriend of Micah’s and in search of his biological father. Around the same time, Cass shares a prediction she will be kicked out of her apartment due to her pet cat, kept against the landlord’s rules. As a creature of habit, Micah is not prepared for either of these unplanned happenings but attempts to deal with them, the best way he knows how, being the person he is.
Redhead by the Side of the Road is short and held my interest. I liked Micah and his quieter, easy going demeanor. Though I usually prefer a little more closure to the conclusion of a story, I felt this one was very fitting and the book was well worth the read.
April 14, 2022
What can I say? I love Anne Tyler. This book was extremely short but still so touching and humorous and comforting. I think a lot of people can relate to the protagonist Micah, not understanding how to connect with people and what expectations to have of others. This was more of a feel good story than some of the others I’ve read of hers, and honestly this was a good time for it.
August 16, 2020
2.5
Anne Tyler is a much beloved and suitably awarded author but this slim character study did not set me off on the right foot with her work.
Basically, this is a mildly diverting short-story that somehow puffed itself up into a novel. I don't often find novels boring but unfortunately even while I attempted to adjust my expectations to a minor more reflective key, I was struggling to engage with this on any level. There is no doubt the Micah Mortimer, a fortyish, lonesome computer technician who jogs and does a good job on recycling is supposed to be a little dull but I had hoped for something deeper about loneliness and the complexities of human connection. Instead, I got rather hung up on why Micah jogs in denim cut-offs and why I find the description of hair as "wheat-coloured" so annoying. Obviously, there are characters other than Micah to discuss ( notably no redheads ) but it is telling that I have forgotten almost all of them. The most memorable scene in this aside from the truly atrocious ending was the "rambunctious family dinner" something that reminded me of August Osage County for some reason but with less drama.
No complaints on the writing, its very thoughtful and mannered and I imagine Anne Tyler fans will find little fault with this offering. Still, I think many readers might question how this one made the cut for the Booker, at best it is a stocking filler.
I'm a roomful of broken hearts indeed.
Anne Tyler is a much beloved and suitably awarded author but this slim character study did not set me off on the right foot with her work.
Basically, this is a mildly diverting short-story that somehow puffed itself up into a novel. I don't often find novels boring but unfortunately even while I attempted to adjust my expectations to a minor more reflective key, I was struggling to engage with this on any level. There is no doubt the Micah Mortimer, a fortyish, lonesome computer technician who jogs and does a good job on recycling is supposed to be a little dull but I had hoped for something deeper about loneliness and the complexities of human connection. Instead, I got rather hung up on why Micah jogs in denim cut-offs and why I find the description of hair as "wheat-coloured" so annoying. Obviously, there are characters other than Micah to discuss ( notably no redheads ) but it is telling that I have forgotten almost all of them. The most memorable scene in this aside from the truly atrocious ending was the "rambunctious family dinner" something that reminded me of August Osage County for some reason but with less drama.
No complaints on the writing, its very thoughtful and mannered and I imagine Anne Tyler fans will find little fault with this offering. Still, I think many readers might question how this one made the cut for the Booker, at best it is a stocking filler.
I'm a roomful of broken hearts indeed.
September 3, 2020
There is really nothing wrong with this short novel.
It is well written, nicely flowing, carefully sketching the main character's slow, almost imperceptible path towards some bits and pieces of self-knowledge. It has no drama, and it doesn't need any either. The main character is a man who lives his life avoiding drama at almost any cost, in fact.
So the three stars are for incompatibility rather than dislike.
Micah Mortimer would not be able to stand me in the room for very long if he existed and we crossed paths (which we might well do if my computer had a bad or fussy day and I had to call someone to talk some sense into it!).
He would make me feel guilty for being too intense, and I would be bored by his principles and routines quicker than the time it takes to read this small volume.
Anne Tyler describes the everyday clashes of different personalities in a truly caring and knowing way, and if I didn't connect it is all on me. I am probably just a closet drama queen wanting pathos in books to compensate for the dullness of my real life? Who knows. Glad I got to meet Micah, but not sorry to close the door to his basement apartment from the outside either. I won't text him and he won't call me. No hard feelings.
We are moving on...
It is well written, nicely flowing, carefully sketching the main character's slow, almost imperceptible path towards some bits and pieces of self-knowledge. It has no drama, and it doesn't need any either. The main character is a man who lives his life avoiding drama at almost any cost, in fact.
So the three stars are for incompatibility rather than dislike.
Micah Mortimer would not be able to stand me in the room for very long if he existed and we crossed paths (which we might well do if my computer had a bad or fussy day and I had to call someone to talk some sense into it!).
He would make me feel guilty for being too intense, and I would be bored by his principles and routines quicker than the time it takes to read this small volume.
Anne Tyler describes the everyday clashes of different personalities in a truly caring and knowing way, and if I didn't connect it is all on me. I am probably just a closet drama queen wanting pathos in books to compensate for the dullness of my real life? Who knows. Glad I got to meet Micah, but not sorry to close the door to his basement apartment from the outside either. I won't text him and he won't call me. No hard feelings.
We are moving on...
April 11, 2020
This was an absolutely wonderful and sweet little book! It is packed full of humour, an entertaining, quirky and loveable main character that is quite the powerfully moving, quiet relaxing read that gave me that warm fuzzy feeling in the end that I so love. Would highly recommend!
Thank you so much to Mimi at Goodreads for my ARC!
Thank you so much to Mimi at Goodreads for my ARC!
February 25, 2020
“Perception is reality.” I think that statement is debatable but Tyler’s novel is very much about perception and how our reality can change in a second. A middle-aged man lives his life by adhering to a strict schedule that borders on the ritualistic. An event causes him to reassess his life choices with the corresponding discomfort. Here, too, Tyler excels at taking the quotidian and turning into to something interesting. Deceptively simple, this novel is much more than sum of its parts although the ending seemed slight.
April 21, 2020
Anne Tyler has the unique ability to take the most mundane, ordinary of events and combine them with well-developed, relatable characters to create wonderfully nuanced stories that are both heartfelt and earnest. I love Tyler’s low-key style and the way she presents her characters always as they are — no fan fare, no big attention-grabbing event, no major earth-shattering revelation — just an ordinary character going about their every day tasks.
This time around, our protagonist is Micah Mortimer, a 44-year-old self-employed tech expert who lives a life of carefully planned routine — from his morning runs that start and end at the same designated times and follow the same exact path each day to the household chores that are meticulously scheduled and performed: floor-mopping on Mondays, kitchen-cleaning on Thursdays, vacuuming on Fridays, etc. To say that Micah is a creature of habit is an understatement — run, shower, breakfast, tidy-up, then get ready to start his first call of the day, his mornings consisted of a system rarely deviated from and fastidious to a fault. But then one day, two things happen that threaten to shatter Micah’s carefully guarded routine: his “woman friend” Cass tells him that she is on the verge of losing her apartment, and later, the teenage son of an ex-lover shows up at his door claiming to be his son. How will Micah handle these unexpected disruptions and the aftermath that results?
I read this book in one sitting this past Sunday morning and let me tell you, it definitely made my day! I enjoy stories that are witty yet poignant, where the humor is subtle and occurs so naturally that you find yourself chuckling without realizing it (that was me during the “Traffic God” moments). This was a simple story, but one that had substance and also a lot of heart — a perfect choice during this challenging time. Every time I pick up one of Tyler’s newest novels to read, I remind myself that I have yet to work my way through her prolific backlist, which I intend to do at one point or another — while still anticipating her next book of course!
This time around, our protagonist is Micah Mortimer, a 44-year-old self-employed tech expert who lives a life of carefully planned routine — from his morning runs that start and end at the same designated times and follow the same exact path each day to the household chores that are meticulously scheduled and performed: floor-mopping on Mondays, kitchen-cleaning on Thursdays, vacuuming on Fridays, etc. To say that Micah is a creature of habit is an understatement — run, shower, breakfast, tidy-up, then get ready to start his first call of the day, his mornings consisted of a system rarely deviated from and fastidious to a fault. But then one day, two things happen that threaten to shatter Micah’s carefully guarded routine: his “woman friend” Cass tells him that she is on the verge of losing her apartment, and later, the teenage son of an ex-lover shows up at his door claiming to be his son. How will Micah handle these unexpected disruptions and the aftermath that results?
I read this book in one sitting this past Sunday morning and let me tell you, it definitely made my day! I enjoy stories that are witty yet poignant, where the humor is subtle and occurs so naturally that you find yourself chuckling without realizing it (that was me during the “Traffic God” moments). This was a simple story, but one that had substance and also a lot of heart — a perfect choice during this challenging time. Every time I pick up one of Tyler’s newest novels to read, I remind myself that I have yet to work my way through her prolific backlist, which I intend to do at one point or another — while still anticipating her next book of course!
April 24, 2020
Ah, Micah! Micah has a carefully orchestrated life which is going rather well at the beginning of this book. Tech Hermit by profession, fixing others computer and internet woes, handyman in his small apartment complex, living alone in his basement apartment, chugging along with his girlfriend, etc, etc. Then something happens that leads to a complete reversal of his routine and causes him to (reluctantly) reevaluate his life.
This is Anne Tyler world, which means her characters are lovable and understandable because they are so much like us, muddled and doing the best we can. The dialogue is real and you can hear it in your head. Tyler seems to have an affinity for her male characters and their efforts at keeping their heads above water in this world. As always in her books, the setting is Baltimore.
Another reviewer described this book "as smooth as butter", and I couldn't agree more.
This is Anne Tyler world, which means her characters are lovable and understandable because they are so much like us, muddled and doing the best we can. The dialogue is real and you can hear it in your head. Tyler seems to have an affinity for her male characters and their efforts at keeping their heads above water in this world. As always in her books, the setting is Baltimore.
Another reviewer described this book "as smooth as butter", and I couldn't agree more.
January 30, 2020
Anne Tyler has the uncanny ability to hold a mirror up to the world, exposing us to all our foibles and strangeness and disconnections, and giving us the power to love ourselves anyway.
Witness her latest character, Micah Mortimer. Any technophobe (or anyone who has rolled his or her eyes at a relative or friend who is techno-intolerant) will chortle with recognition at this self-employed “Tech Hermit” who has authored a book titled, “First, You Plug It In.” In ways, he is not unlike Macon Leary of Accidental Tourist, the quirky author of the eponymous travel guides who slips into a meticulous routine that keeps him at arm’s distance from the outside world.
But Micah has other quirks, too. He’s a creature of habit, adhering to a – dare we call it? – OCD type of schedule. He’s a cautious and responsible driver, constantly looking to the Travel Gods for a pat on the back when he stays under the speed limit even though no one is around or signals first even though he’s in the left-turn-only lane. He’s risk-averse to a fault and right now, that quality is threatening to torpedo the best relationship he’s ever been in with a teacher named Cass.
In short, Micah is not only like other Anne Tyler characters who struggle with fears, concerns, and disconnections — he is also like us. A lesser writer would use her characters’ quirks to win an easy laugh from her readers, but Anne Tyler is a pro and she loves her characters, warts and all. She roots for them to succeed and we find ourselves rooting right along with her. In the end, Anne Tyler brings into her work a compassion, joy, and empowerment that teaches us that there is such a thing as second chances in the world and that if we keep trying, we’ll get it right. As a reader, I love this quality about her and I also love this latest book — which brought tears to my eyes in witnessing Micah’s dawning that sometimes, “it is what it is, in the end.” A huge thanks to Alfred A. Knopf for sending me an advance copy in exchange for a decidedly honest review.
Witness her latest character, Micah Mortimer. Any technophobe (or anyone who has rolled his or her eyes at a relative or friend who is techno-intolerant) will chortle with recognition at this self-employed “Tech Hermit” who has authored a book titled, “First, You Plug It In.” In ways, he is not unlike Macon Leary of Accidental Tourist, the quirky author of the eponymous travel guides who slips into a meticulous routine that keeps him at arm’s distance from the outside world.
But Micah has other quirks, too. He’s a creature of habit, adhering to a – dare we call it? – OCD type of schedule. He’s a cautious and responsible driver, constantly looking to the Travel Gods for a pat on the back when he stays under the speed limit even though no one is around or signals first even though he’s in the left-turn-only lane. He’s risk-averse to a fault and right now, that quality is threatening to torpedo the best relationship he’s ever been in with a teacher named Cass.
In short, Micah is not only like other Anne Tyler characters who struggle with fears, concerns, and disconnections — he is also like us. A lesser writer would use her characters’ quirks to win an easy laugh from her readers, but Anne Tyler is a pro and she loves her characters, warts and all. She roots for them to succeed and we find ourselves rooting right along with her. In the end, Anne Tyler brings into her work a compassion, joy, and empowerment that teaches us that there is such a thing as second chances in the world and that if we keep trying, we’ll get it right. As a reader, I love this quality about her and I also love this latest book — which brought tears to my eyes in witnessing Micah’s dawning that sometimes, “it is what it is, in the end.” A huge thanks to Alfred A. Knopf for sending me an advance copy in exchange for a decidedly honest review.
August 8, 2020
Anne Tyler is one of my favorite authors. She has the ability to make the ordinary, mundane characters interesting by writing of their quirks and humanity.
“Redhead by the Side of the Road” is currently longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. Micah, our regimented and disciplined protagonist enjoys order in his life. He comes from a gregarious, messy family who love him, and love to tease him of his need for structure. Tyler finds ways to upset ordinary lives and plays with ideas of how these characters could react.
Tyler’s novels are comfort food for me. Her characters have no ill intent. They make mistakes, lots of mistakes, and she shows how it is the human condition to plug away, tripping as we go. With Micah, she upsets his perfect universe with a surprise visit from a college student who is the son of a long-ago girlfriend. He’s perplexed as to why this young man sought him out. Next, his girlfriend of a few years learns that she might be evicted. He’s overwhelmed with the young man at his doorstep, that he doesn’t notice his girlfriend’s angst.
Micah is fun. He talks to himself in fake accented voices. He has “traffic gods” in his mind who admires his safe driving skills. He’s a loveable character. When his routine is messed with, Tyler spins her magic and makes the read a funny and satisfying read.
“Redhead by the Side of the Road” is currently longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. Micah, our regimented and disciplined protagonist enjoys order in his life. He comes from a gregarious, messy family who love him, and love to tease him of his need for structure. Tyler finds ways to upset ordinary lives and plays with ideas of how these characters could react.
Tyler’s novels are comfort food for me. Her characters have no ill intent. They make mistakes, lots of mistakes, and she shows how it is the human condition to plug away, tripping as we go. With Micah, she upsets his perfect universe with a surprise visit from a college student who is the son of a long-ago girlfriend. He’s perplexed as to why this young man sought him out. Next, his girlfriend of a few years learns that she might be evicted. He’s overwhelmed with the young man at his doorstep, that he doesn’t notice his girlfriend’s angst.
Micah is fun. He talks to himself in fake accented voices. He has “traffic gods” in his mind who admires his safe driving skills. He’s a loveable character. When his routine is messed with, Tyler spins her magic and makes the read a funny and satisfying read.
September 28, 2020
What a gem!!! Tyler is the master of how clueless we can all be about ourselves & each other -- & MacLeod Andrews is a master at reading this lovely novel!
March 30, 2020
Micah Mortimer, 44, is a creature of habit, routine and precision. He has few friends although he’s always cordial and perfectly polite to everyone. His life has stalled somewhat as he’s the super of a building, a job he does conscientiously and he runs Tech Hermit, fixing people’s computer issues. He has a girlfriend Cassia Slade but that relationship seems to be fading. When the son of a former girlfriend barrels into his life in a most unexpected way, after a great deal of puzzlement and soul searching Micah reaches some life changing decisions.
This is such a lovely, gentle novella which is a perfect antidote for these uncertain and worrying times. As you’d expect from a writer of the calibre of Anne Tyler this is beautifully written with delightful touches of wry humour. I love Micah, he’s honest, he finds life and emotions bewildering and he seeks perfection by instilling order in his life and distancing himself from others. His family is the polar opposite to him as they are colourfully, chaotically haphazard. They poke gentle fun at Micah but there’s no malice, just warmth and understanding. He comes to appreciate that he cannot go through life without making mistakes and with that realisation comes happiness. He has far more imagination that he realises as shown in his dreams and the redhead!!!
Overall, a lovely read with good characters, it’s well written and there’s a happy ending - what more could you ask for? It takes literary skill to write a story about everyday people and make it interesting and Anne Tyler exactly that.
This is such a lovely, gentle novella which is a perfect antidote for these uncertain and worrying times. As you’d expect from a writer of the calibre of Anne Tyler this is beautifully written with delightful touches of wry humour. I love Micah, he’s honest, he finds life and emotions bewildering and he seeks perfection by instilling order in his life and distancing himself from others. His family is the polar opposite to him as they are colourfully, chaotically haphazard. They poke gentle fun at Micah but there’s no malice, just warmth and understanding. He comes to appreciate that he cannot go through life without making mistakes and with that realisation comes happiness. He has far more imagination that he realises as shown in his dreams and the redhead!!!
Overall, a lovely read with good characters, it’s well written and there’s a happy ending - what more could you ask for? It takes literary skill to write a story about everyday people and make it interesting and Anne Tyler exactly that.
August 30, 2020
Do you know people who only see the world through the lenses of black and white? For them, everything is thus and so and they often find the world puzzling, disorganized, and not to their liking.
Micah Mortimer is such a person. In his world everything must be orderly, as he prefers his world to be tidy and regulated. He doesn't seem to care about fortune and although quite bright, he prefers the life of a building janitor. He even drives his car discussing his decisions with the car god. Always fastidious, he has a lady friend, but god forbid he refers to her as his girlfriend because people in their forties don't have a girlfriend. His family of sisters drive him crazy as their lives are totally disorganized and to him a mess.
Into this regulated life of Micah's comes a young man, the son of a former college girlfriend and Micah's precise, regulated life receives a jolt he least expects.
Told with an understanding of the life some people pursue, this was a sweet tale that the author handles with wit and sensitivity.
Micah Mortimer is such a person. In his world everything must be orderly, as he prefers his world to be tidy and regulated. He doesn't seem to care about fortune and although quite bright, he prefers the life of a building janitor. He even drives his car discussing his decisions with the car god. Always fastidious, he has a lady friend, but god forbid he refers to her as his girlfriend because people in their forties don't have a girlfriend. His family of sisters drive him crazy as their lives are totally disorganized and to him a mess.
Into this regulated life of Micah's comes a young man, the son of a former college girlfriend and Micah's precise, regulated life receives a jolt he least expects.
Told with an understanding of the life some people pursue, this was a sweet tale that the author handles with wit and sensitivity.
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