by Anne Tyler
First published 1986
Pearl Tull lies dying, her memory sharp as ever. In 1944, her husband walked out without explanation, leaving her to raise three children by herself. Now those children have returned as adults, each shaped differently by their fractured childhood. Ezra became the gentle peacemaker who runs a restaurant and dreams of family dinners that never quite work. Cody turned bitter and competitive, always fighting invisible battles. Jenny built walls around herself, becoming a doctor who struggles with intimacy. As Pearl's life ebbs away, the siblings circle each other with old grievances and fragile hopes. They carry decades of hurt from their father's desertion and their mother's fierce, imperfect love. The family gathers around Pearl's bedside, finally forced to confront the beautiful and terrible bonds that hold them together despite everything that has driven them apart.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: United States
Period: 20th-century
Audio Cassette · Random House Audio