Noah's Compass - Book Review

Anne Tyler's Noah's Compass is such a subtle, low-key work that you might miss just what it is she's trying to accomplish. Uh, oh. Subtle and low key means slow-moving and boring, right? Well, there are no 'splosions to be found in this lovely book, that's true, but then there's nary a 'splosion to be found in any of Tyler's books. Besides, there's plenty of books out there with 'splosions in 'em. Don't worry. We'll get to them eventually.

For now, though, Noah's Compass offers a gentle story about 61-year old Liam Pennywell and his search for the memory he lost the night he was conked over the head by an intruder on his first night's stay at his new apartment. That event sets him off on his journey to re-evaluate his life and try to reach out once more for a chance at love. But he comes late to this realization about himself:

All along, it seemed, he had experienced only the most glancing relationship with his own life. He had dodged the tough issues, avoided the conflicts, gracefully skirted adventure.

The book's title comes from a scene between Pennywell and his grandson, who is coloring in the pictures of his Bible coloring book. In talking about the story of Noah, his grandson asks Pennywell how Noah knew where he was going. Pennywell realizes that Noah didn't know where he was going - why should he? He had nowhere else to go. All Noah had to do was stay afloat, and so had no need for a compass or sextant. (Yes, yes, I know, neither the compass nor the sextant existed in Biblical times. We're talking metaphors here, okay?) The connection of this scene to Pennywell's life is obvious but it's Pennywell's reconciliation to what he finally sees how his life has been that provides the climax to this story. Whether you find that reconciliation satisfying I'll leave to you.

This is probably a minor work of Tyler's. I'm glad I read it because I find her so rewarding but it's her other books that resonate more with me than this one. That may change over time but I still think that Tyler is our greatest living author out there writing novels about ourselves that'll stand the test of time.

Here's a nice post-tax season surprise: Yesterday, Amazon delivered my copy of Anne Tyler's latest novel, Noah's Compass. Woo hoo! I'm as happy as a little girl! No more of this books-I'm-not-reading for me. No, sir. At last, a book I've been looking forward to reading since January.

Why is Anne Tyler my favorite author? (What? You thought Hemingway was my favorite author? No, he's my favorite dead author; Tyler's my favorite living author. See the difference? And, aside from their living/dead status, they couldn't be any more different from one another. I'm complicated that way.) No one I've been reading, or reading about, writes better about the things that mean most to me - families and what makes up a family and the bonds of love between family members. No, she doesn't fish or hunt big game in Africa but what Tyler does, she does exceedingly well, and I can't recommend her novels too highly.

But don't take my word for it. Here's what Nick Hornby had to say about Anne Tyler in his August, 2005 column (Sorry. The link only goes to a preview of the article. To view the whole thing you have to, get this, pay cash money. Imagine that.) for The Believer:

Anne Tyler is the person who first made me want to write. I picked up Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant in a bookshop, started to read it there and then, bought it, took it home, finished it and suddenly I had an ambition, for about the first time in my life.

A review to follow when I'm finished.