A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler

A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Barnaby Gaitlan is just a regular guy.

A former teenage delinquent and the black sheep of a wealthy (and socially ambitious) family, he has just turned thirty, with an ex-wife from an ill starred early marriage and a nine year old daughter who he sees once a month. He never completed college, owes his parents money, has a beaten up old Corvette that is always giving him trouble and scratches a living for a company called Rent-a-Back doing odd jobs for old folk. His life is drifting – the world seems to have low expectations of him, and so he has low expectations of himself. However, a chance encounter in a railway station causes him to engineer a meeting with a woman who might just turn out to be the angel who will turn his life around.

The events of the thirtieth year of Barnaby’s life are related as a first person narrative. Whilst he may have a poor opinion of himself, we soon come to realise that Barnaby is actually a pretty decent fellow. He may sometimes think of something hurtful, but more often than not he bites his tongue and does not say it. He is thoughtful and conscientious, particularly in his work running errands for the various demanding old folk that employ him. He may sometimes act like a bit of a doofus, but on the whole he is ready to learn from his mistakes. He grows to understand why his mother is the way that she is, and also that the saintly Sofia – his angel from the train – also has flaws of her own. Most importantly, he learns just what it means to grow older.

This is an excellent novel, and it gives a real insight into the mind of the flawed, yet likeable protagonist. The experience of moving from your twenties into your thirties and wondering if there will ever come a moment at which you finally feel like an adult is one that I can certainly relate to.

Two thumbs up!

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