A Patchwork Planet, like most of Anne Tyler’s work, takes place in and around Baltimore.

It tells the story of Barnaby Gaitlin, a young man working a menial dead-end job (carrying things around and doing errands for the elderly and the housebound), divorced, in a strained relationship with his wealthy parents and his nine year old daughter, and who is maybe, just maybe, going to turn his life around when he meets an upstanding woman, who encourages him to go back to school, get a better job, and marry her.

But not so fast…while we get to know Barnaby, his dysfunctional family, and the Rent-A-Back clientele, Tyler makes a humanistic and convincing case that Barnaby’s kindness, hard work, and efforts to repay all his financial and emotional debts make him a better person, despite all his faults, than those who consider him a black sheep.

He does turn his life around, but in a surprising way; he finds happiness when he forgives himself for his past transgressions and when he realizes who trusts him and who deserves his trust.

This novel makes space for, and pays attention to, those who are overlooked or forgotten, a bit odd, who don’t fit in.

Tyler’s compassion for the outsider is contagious, and this reader, at least, finds herself rooting for Barnaby, cheering his successes, and being gently and persuasively reminded of what is and is not important in this life.

NOVEL: A Patchwork Planet

AUTHOR: Anne Tyler

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1998

IMAGE: book cover, Vintage