I’ve read a number of Anne Tyler books and they are all well written with great characterisations.
This one is about quirky Micah. He is a computer repair man who lives on his own. He has a girlfriend, Cass and they’ve been together for three years. However the relationship seems to be stuck- it’s not really progressing to the next level. I began to suspect quite early on that it might be Micah’s fault; he seems perfectly happy with the arrangements and doesn’t want to “change the rules”.
Micah seems to like his ordered life at first. He does his vacuuming one day, cleans the kitchen another, goes for a run every morning. He follows everything literally including when he’s driving- he uses his indicator to signal even when there is no one behind him.
He’s not quite sure how to interact with other people including his girlfriend and his own family. He is not adept at knowing the right thing to say in every situation.
One day the teenage son of an old college girlfriend turns up on his doorstep and this event is the catalyst for him to reassess his life.
I think that Micah is a charming character with a good heart. The reader wants him to find happiness and fulfilment. I decided quite quickly that Micah was probably on the autistic spectrum but this really manifested itself as him being slightly eccentric. He is a character so well described by the author that I could just imagine meeting him in real life. I think we all know someone who is a bit like Micah.
The book is short, more of a novella really and was a lovely way to spend a few hours in these dark times.
I thoroughly recommend this book whether you are an Anne Tyler fan like me or if you have never read her books before. Believe me, Redhead By the Side of the Road will definitely whet your appetite.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Anne Tyler excels at examining the small details of life. ‘Redhead by the Side of the Road’ is a window into the world of Micah, and in a characteristic approach Anne Tyler explores the interior and exterior of Micah’s life over a few weeks. Micah is a man in his forties who lives alone. He has an orderly life with a rigid exercise and housekeeping routine, a one man home tech business and a romantic relationship with Cassie that he has timetabled to suit his needs. An unexpected visitor with a link to his past coincides with a crossroads in his and Cassie’s relationship and the way in which Micah responds to these events leads to some unprecedented self reflection. Micah is led to consider why he has organised his life the way he has and whether his organised lifestyle really does suit his needs.

A gloriously comforting read. I loved this book!

Micah thinks he's got everything sorted. He runs every morning at 7.15, has a cleaning regime for the house he lives in alone, is in control of his business providing tech support in the neighbourhood, and he has a female friend.

But when his female friend wants to move the relationship to the next step (and Micah doesn't read the signs), and when he is visited by a strange teenager claiming to be his son, life steps up a different gear. How will Micah cope?

Micah is quietly sorrowful that he hasn't got a happy, committed relationship. He's not sure how he gets it wrong. He's resigned to the fact rather than full of angst, and it's just lovely when he decides that enough is enough and he will do something about resolving the situation.

Throughout, the narrative is interrupted by the comic episodes which face anyone/everyone in the service industry. Here, these are the tech problems with Micah, the computer expert regularly telling his anxious customers to 'turn it off and then on again'.

It's a beautiful book and, being slim, I think I'll read it again when I need to escape my world and step into Micah's!

My review is here
https://www.moreaboutbooks.com/review/1097

The story of Micah is a compelling one, a man who is happy in his own fastidious world, a man of routine and contentment. Whilst there can be a lot to be said for being content is it enough to always feel that way? A series of events make Micah question if he is really living his life, rather than just being in it.

This is the first of Anne Tyler's books I have read although she is someone I have often meant to read, but I will certainly be reading more. I loved the characters, their interactions and the fact that it made me question my own life and contentment vs happiness, surely the sign of a great book.

I find Anne Tyler's books very soothing to read. She is a mistress of the importance of domestic writing. That sounds like a criticism but it really isn't. It's incredibly difficult to write about day to day reality and make it engrossing and moreover 'real'. To me, her books are like Edward Hopper paintings but in words. Vignettes of moments that would otherwise pass us by. Even the dramatic moments, are there are some, are understated and all the more powerful for it. Micah is a man who craves order. His upbringing was disordered and chaotic and he has made his adult life the antithesis of this. Into his routines come little pockets of upset that require him to adjust his thinking in small, yet significant ways. This is beautifully observed.

Micah is is at an impasse in his life. On the surface it's business as usual: he manages an apartment block, runs his own tech business and regularly sees his girlfriend of three years. However, when Brink, the son of a former girlfriend arrives on his doorstep, it sets in motion a series of small events that turn his humdrum life upside down. This short novel from Anne Tyler, follows her usual style and is a sweet, sad tale about a man who needs to discover something about himself.

Red Head by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler, is the story of Micah Mortimer, a self employed IT repair man, who prefers to live alone in a very ordered, contained life. Gradually over the course of the novel, Micah starts to see the flaws to this approach to life, and changes in small but profound ways.

I have to admit to feeling torn about this book. It has received rave reviews by many, including the media. People argue that the genius of the novel and its author is in its narrow focus and simplicity. I can relate to that, and appreciate it. However it also left me a bit unsatisfied and finding it hard to think about what I learnt from reading the novel, or where I was transported to. Maybe it is these lockdown times, but I wanted more distraction. However this is a beautifully written book about a very little life.

For some inexplicable reason it has been a few years since I read a book by Anne Tyler.

Maybe its true that Anne Tyler writes about nothing in particular, but its also true that every single word has a meaning a nuance, an importance.

Michah Mortimer is a man content with his life, his routines, his girlfriend and his expectations. He likes his routines, but at what cost? The few weeks that we glimpse into Michah's life sees a man who thought he was comfortable with his life, but after some unexpected changes, he realises that change is good.

I really enjoyed Michah's changes and his route to happiness

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At less than 200 pages this is a quick read, it’s not just the size that lends to it being a quick read though- the narrative is chatty and fast paced. Following Micah Mortimer, youngest brother with crazy, disorganised older sisters, Micah leads his life in an orderly fashion. He has set days for mopping, hoovering and cleaning. Then events happen that turn upside down his usual routines and force him to confront aspects of his personality, as well as having to acknowledge other peoples viewpoints. I really enjoyed this and wanted to know more - I could have happily followed Micah for a lot longer!

Another winner in my book from Anne Tyler, whose work I would read over and over for the rest of my life. A quiet read about a quiet man, akin to Eleanor Oliphant, quieter if that was possible, who doesn't understand why others are so frustrated by his organised life.

A slight if at times heartwarming story following a man in his 40s, Micah, who works as a handyman in his building and has his own business fixing the computers of the technologically inept within his community. Micah is incredibly set in his ways and lives a pretty rigid lifestyle, finding it hard to connect with those around him -- including his girlfriend, Cassia. The bulk of the story focuses on when a young man turns up at his door and tells him he thinks he's his son, and the fallout of this event.

This is my first Tyler novel and it was almost entirely what I expected - taking ordinary people and finding something universal and relatable in their lives. Her writing and characters reminded me a little of Elizabeth Strout. I'll likely check out some more of her novels when I'm in the mood for this type of quiet character-driven story.

Like a lot of people I’ve sometimes found reading difficult during this period of national lockdown. It can be challenging to concentrate when there’s so much anxiety all around me. So the calm and measured thoughtfulness found in Anne Tyler’s new novel is greatly welcome at this time. Since she focuses on psychological nuance and a realistic portrayal of daily experience nothing very dramatic or distressing often occurs in Tyler’s novels. That’s true for this book as well although there is an imagined apocalyptic scene which felt surprisingly relevant for this current time. At one point the protagonist has a fantasy that his community has been hit by “one of those neutron bombs they used to talk about that wiped out all of humanity but left the buildings intact” so that he imagines himself as the sole survivor and, while he would occupy himself with his usual solitary activities, he’d eventually go out looking for other people and find “Nothing.” This is exactly the sort of existential crisis many are experiencing now when they venture outside to a normally bustling community and find no one around. So this added a touching poignancy to an all-around gentle story about a man caught in the humdrum routines of his well-established lifestyle.

The novel follows the daily experiences of Micah, a man on the brink of middle age who has a lowkey life working as a “glorified handyman” assisting local individuals with their computer problems. He runs his independent business under the name Tech Hermit which is a title all too appropriate for him. Although he has a long-term girlfriend and close connections with his family, his life is dominated by tidy habits which shield him from any messiness in his home or emotional messiness. Eventually this distances him from those closest to him and when the son of an old flame arrives at his doorstep he finds himself confronted by how severely circumscribed his existence has become. As often happens in Tyler’s novel, the mundane details of ordinary life gradually build to something much more moving, substantial and profound. Few writers can capture the way individuals are trapped in the steady flow of time the way Tyler does.

My favourite novel by Tyler is “Ladder of Years” which concerns a wife and mother who literally walks away from her life to enjoy some precious much-needed solitude. In a way, “Redhead by the Side of the Road” offers an opposite point of view about a man who has consciously built a self-contained solitary world for himself but finds when he’s left absolutely alone he needs others to provide a form of disruption to his orderly routines. This causes him to glancingly imagine others around him when there’s really no one there such as when he comes upon a fire hydrant that he regularly passes by: “He momentarily mistook the hydrant for a redhead and gave his usual shake of the shoulders at how repetitious this thought was, how repetitious all his thoughts were, how they ran in a deep rut and how his entire life ran in a rut, really.” While many of us long for a special kind of solace found in being entirely alone, an important aspect of human nature is maintaining some form of human contact. Yes, this will inevitably lead to disorder or even chaos but part of the pleasure of living is not being able to predict what these interactions will bring. This novel shows that Tyler’s humble story can provide a startlingly timely message.

Thanks you to netgalley & randomhouse for the arc

This is my first time to read Anne Tyler and I’m slightly embarrassed to say that after doing some research on this novelist. However it’s fuelled me to read more of her writing which I’m really looking forward to getting started on ASAP.

This story is about Micah, a man in his forties, living a life in which he seems to have full control. He doesn’t expect too much and very much loves routine. Until one day a teenager arrives on his doorstep claiming that Micah is his father. What follows is an endearing tale of how life can sometimes push us out of our comfort zone which isn’t always to our detriment.

This is a lovely read. It’s more of a novella at around 200 pages and the author is gifted at writing about human behaviour. I could perfectly picture Micah in how she described him and see how he lived his life.
Don’t expect this to be a riveting book, it’s a relaxed read with great style and very worth it.
5🌟

Just loved and envied at times the chaotic way of life and a different way of looking at life a kind of romance with the hearts and flowers very enjoyable

I should start by saying that I love Anne Tyler so was always going to enjoy this book.
It’s unlike other books of her that I have read as the protagonist is a man. Micah has a nice steady life filled with routine. When the son of his college girlfriend shows up at his apartment he ends up reevaluating how happy his steady life it making him.
It’s a nice read and quick too. Probably not my favourite Anne Tyler but I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to other.

I love Anne Tyler’s writing, I’ve been reading her books for about 20 years and really enjoy the way she gets under the skin of her characters, describing their mannerisms, speech patterns and other little idiosyncrasies so vividly and recognisably.

The main character in her latest book (a novella really) is Micah Mortimer, a forty-something computer technician (he runs his own one-man company called The Tech Guy). In many ways Micah reminded me of the similarly named Macon in one of Tyler’s earlier novels (and my favourite), The Accidental Tourist. He’s reserved, fastidious and set in his ways (sometimes infuriatingly so), but has a heart of gold.

As often seems to happen in Tyler’s stories, on the surface not a lot seems to be happening but underneath a very real and recognisable human tale is being told. Micah’s interactions with his family, his customers and his poor girlfriend who he drives to distraction with his non-committal, manner, are beautifully observed and delivered with humour and empathy.

Not many authors can make everyday life so interesting and entertaining, and long may Anne Tyler continue to do so.

*3.5 Stars *

On the face of it, this story is just so darned ordinary, but Anne Tyler manages to turn the ordinary, the mundane, into extraordinary and imaginative, with her observations on the minutiae of life.

44 year old Micah lives alone in a basement flat, a very well ordered place it has to be said, this is a man who likes routine. He’s never been married, but has had a few girlfriends over the years, his latest being Cass, although he refuses to call her his ‘girlfriend ‘, at their age, she’s his ‘lady friend ‘! He has a large and noisy family of sisters and their husbands and children, but he’s still very much a loner.

Things are plodding along as they do every day for Micah, until out of the blue, a teenage boy turns up at his door hinting that Micah may be his father. This leads to a falling out with Cass, and results in him taking a long look at his life - past relationships, future relationships, and causes him to reassess the ways in which he can change life for the better.

No great mysteries here, no thrilling plot, just a keenly observed depiction of life at its most ordinary - ordinary but nevertheless interesting!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this book.

Anne Tyler is probably my absolute favourite author. I look forward to reading each new novel she writes. It’s hard to put my finger on why I love her writing, because very little happens in her books, there is rarely an exciting plot or much action. Instead, her books are full of beautiful observations of everyday family life and she writes characters really well. It is simply really pleasant to read Tyler’s writing, even though her books are not unpredictable or thrilling.

Nobody writes lonely, emotionally stunted men as well as Tyler, and her latest book features a classic example. Micah Mortimer is a finicky iT technician in his 40s who is ambling through life never committing to anything. The arrival of the teenage son of one of his ex-girlfriends on his doorstep causes him to contemplate what is important in his life. You might expect the boy to be his unknown son, but Tyler is never that melodramatic, instead he is the catalyst for Micah to address what he actually wants from his life.

This is a short, beautifully written novel, with a very predictable ending and is a pleasant way to spend a few hours. There is nothing groundbreaking about this book but the joy of Tyler is in her lovely prose and her ability to observe human life so accurately.

Well now I can say I’ve read an Anne Tyler novel, and I can also say that I will be reading more!

What a charming story. I’ve noticed reviews on Anne Tyler in the past - particularly how she is adept at capturing the essence of what makes us human. Quiet stories, not relying on heavy plot, but rich in characterisation. I have to agree - this book is no exception.

The main character, Micah, is realistic and likeable. His idiosyncrasies and supposedly mundane routine are such a pleasure to read, you soon find yourself absorbed. Tyler does not rely on hooks or explosive events to move the story along, instead she quietly depicts everyday life for one man with such tender meaning, they are just not needed. This I think, is what Tyler fans enjoy.

My only criticism would be the length of the book - it’s a bit too short. Not particularly unresolved - I just wasn’t quite ready to leave!

I’ve now added some of Tyler’s previous novels to my ever-growing TBR pile - grateful to have another author to recommend and enjoy.

With thanks to Netgalley and vintage books for a copy of this book in return for an honest review. Anne Tyler is without question my favourite contemporary writer. Breathing Lessons was my first Tyler and I remember exactly where I was when I picked up the book and said, ‘Is this any good?’ Gosh yes it was, and is beyond good and so is ‘Redhead at the side of the Road’. I slip into a Tyler novel as into a warm bath, soaking up words and sentences which just flow effortlessly ... Within pages i felt I’d stepped into Micah’s life, the minutia of his daily existence. Tyler’s talent is not in describing big things but in observing little things in a big way. This is life, the day to day, and so brilliantly and intuitively depicted. Micah is a man of habit, a man who has not achieved great things, who flounders from one relationship to another. The drama is that of every day existence, all the fragility of that which holds us together - ‘maybe he was one skipped vacuuming day away from total chaos’. Anne Tyler’s ordinary is extraordinary. She remains my favourite contemporary writer.