Why read novels? Jonathan Franzen argues in a Harper’s essay that people are drawn to strong fiction because they like to engage in complex stories that don’t have simple resolutions. In Anne Tyler’s first novel, If Morning Ever Comes, the central character, a law student, tries to learn how to not be homesick; how to help his somewhat dysfunctional sisters, mother and grandmother; how to navigate the problems created by his late father, who was a physician, alcoholic, and philanderer; and how to move on with his own life. There are no easy answers, which makes it interesting, relevant, and engaging.
Tyler, Anne. If Morning Ever Comes. Ivy Books, 1964, p. 95.