‘French Braid’ by Anne Tyler

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

“Oh, a French braid,” Greta said. “That’s it. And then when she undid them, her hair would still be in ripples, little leftover squiggles, for hours and hours afterward.” “Yes…” “Well,” David said, “that’s how families work, too. You think you’re free of them, but you’re never really free; the ripples are crimped in forever.”

This is Anne Tyler’s most recent novel. It spans a few decades, beginning in the 1950s and reaching briefly into the 2020 pandemic. From the publisher:

“Full of heartbreak and hilarity, French Braid is classic Anne Tyler: a stirring, uncannily insightful novel of tremendous warmth and humour that illuminates the kindnesses and cruelties of our daily lives, the impossibility of breaking free from those who love us, and how close—yet how unknowable—every family is to itself.”

Typical of Tyler, this is a family saga to sink into, a quiet human novel featuring a number of interesting characters…Mercy (the mother) striving for independence, Robin (the father) adorably bewildered by almost everything, Lily (the younger sister) considered the problem child, Alice (the older sister) steady and responsible, and David (the brother) inexplicably intent on escaping his family’s orbit.

Tyler’s books are very character driven–there’s not much plot. Although I do love novels best, that offer both well developed characters and are plot driven, I’m also ok with just characters who are well portrayed in the hands of a skilful favourite author such as this.