What makes this family special? Anne Tyler provides this list: They thought their uncanny ability to keep their dogs alive for eons set them apart, as did their fierce disapproval of any adults who wear jeans, and their air of good-natured patience “that was not entirely deserved.” They also have a talent for pretending that everything was fine, which, we are told, “was further proof that the Whitshanks were not remarkable in any way whatsoever” after all. One thing is certain: I love this novel and its flawed characters, and it might be the best book I’ll read this year.
Anne Tyler, A Spool of Blue Thread, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf: 2015), 56.