Of course, the waitress was right: these people clearly didn’t have everything they needed. This is familiar territory for fans of Anne Tyler. We count on seeing an “eccentric ecosystem of relatives and neighbors” who aren’t getting the assurances, stability or respect they need. When the New York Times asked Tyler to identify a common thread in her novels, she said “endurance.” She added, “I don’t think living is easy . . . It’s hard to get through every day.” Is that what it comes down to? Endurance? Perhaps it is. Maybe that’s why her books so often ring true.
Tyler, Anne. Clock Dance. Knopf, 2018, p.217.