Noah's Compass

There was no reason to believe Anne Tyler had lost her writing flair but so often when I find a writer I like, especially an established writer, their earlier books are the best of their lot. I'm happy to say that's not the case here. Anne Tyler still has her signature style and her gift for description, character and dialogue. Liam Pennywell is such a believable character that you think he might live next door. And don't you love the name? Pennywell. It's so...Anne Tyler. He's been forced to retire from his teaching job at (another typical Tyler-ism) St. Dyfrig school (what kind of name is that?) and who would think a story about a 60 year old, twice-divorced schoolteacher would be fascinating, but it is. I was engaged from page one and captivated by the mundane life of this funny, quirky man. But here's the thing, I got close to the end, just a few pages left I thought, and turned the page to finish the book, but it was over. It was shocking! Right out loud, even though no one was in the room with me except my cat, I said, "That's it???" Very odd, abrupt ending on first read. But then I read it again and I suppose it works. At any rate, ending aside, I loved Noah's Compass and highly recommend it, especially if you're an Anne Tyler fan. Fortunately she's still got it.

There have been so may well-written reviews of "Noah's Compass", that I won't try to write a full review. I do wonder, however, how people could express disappointment in the book. Sure, things aren't neatly "tied up" at the end, but that's why I love Anne Tyler's novels: they are full of the scrappy, haphazard patterns that real lives are made of. The only disappointment I felt when I finished the book was the knowledge that I will have to wait for another new one. I loved these people; cranky, sloppy, confused and opinionated as they may be. I think Anne Tyler is one of the best novelists working today (she is certainly my favourite novelist) and when I recommend her to friends I feel like I am giving them a really special gift.

There is no other author that I know of who can capture the quirky, crazy, and inspiring character personalities like Anne Tyler does. These are just everyday people, like you and me. No extraordinary powers, no murder mystery solving detectives, no passionately beautiful heroine or handsome hero - just everyday ordinary people like you and me. And still Anne Tyler has a way of pulling you in to care about the lives of these ordinary folks. Meet Liam Pennywell, age 61 years old. Forced into retirement from teaching, he goes to bed one night and wakes up the next morning in a hospital with no memory as to how he got there. I loved this book! Liam reminds me a lot of my own pathetic, quirky, sad, lack of direction old self (lol). Many of us probably need a hit on the old noggin' from time to time. Or just a good book to read. A book that softly takes direct aim at our own life compass to point us in a new and more aware direction.

Noah didn't need a compass, a rudder or a sextant because he wasn't going anywhere; he just bobbed along trying to stay afloat. Liam Pennywell, the 60 year old narrator of Anne Tyler's latest novel, "Noah's Compass", has been getting by without a compass for years. Alone, unemployed, a little lonely, closed off, thinking his life is behind him, Liam has what we call a "life-changing experience". In fact, he has two of them; one is physical and the other metaphorically dangles in front of him his much needed "compass" ...if he'll only recognize it. To open an Anne Tyler novel is to open yourself to care about her characters and "Noah's Compass" is no different. I fell in love with Liam Pennywell and Eunice Dunstead, (a "rememberer"). Even Tyler's less loving characters are appealing through their all-too-human faults. Liam's stern older sister, his brisk ex-wife, and his three daughters, are all endearing in their own way. One never wishes evil on a Tyler character because they all reflect back something of ourselves. Her characters are familiar, archetypal and "Tyler-esque"; in all her novels we see people who are stumbling around in the dark. They don't even grope for their identities and their life purposes, those things just seem to fall upon them like odds and ends off an attic shelf. One quirky character (a redundant term in Anne Tyler's world!) misquotes: "Those that forget the past are doomed to regret the present." Eventually Liam does take some ownership of his past mistakes, but will he use the insight to change his present? Will Liam wake up from his malaise and start living a full life? Will he grab his last chance at love? Will his life change? Should it? Is contentment enough? The worst thing about a new Anne Tyler novel is the wait for the next one. In the meantime, I'll re-read "Noah's Compass" and several other of my favorite Tyler novels and I'll love them as much as I ever did, and glean new insights from each.