I love Anne Tyler and she is my favorite living author. I found Redhead by the Side of the Road, typical Anne Tyler. Forty-something Micah Mortimer certainly is a creature of habit, living simply by managing an apartment complex and running his own company called Tech Hermit. He finds himself pondering his life after a son of a college girlfriend knocks on his door wondering if Micah is his biological father and a breakup from his current girlfriend. This is a quiet book brimming with characters that are so memorable you will find yourself lost in this lovely book.

This was a very smooth, seemingly effortless read and I found the main character Micah to be quite appealing. The storyline with Brink seemed to be a little bit random, but I did like the way Micah opened up his life to Brink although it was a bit out of character for him. I thought the ending was somewhat abrupt - I was reading along and then - unexpected ending! I would have liked to read more about Micah’s dawning self-awareness.

A meandering book about an OCD guy who wants to be in a relationship but can't really grasp why women tend to just fade out of his life. The writing was fairly strong with the main character reasonably developed, but I read the whole book waiting for the plot to develop. Then it was done. Not one I would ever reread.

I kept wandering throughout this book why the title is the redhead by the side of the road. The redhead didn’t even play a role in the book. This book kept me interested till the end but I did get a little bored in parts. It reminded me of the book a man called ove because it was about the life of this one man and the people he interacts with.

Anne Tyler never disappoints me. She understands all people and encourages me to connect with each character. Micah is like so many men I know - he does not recognize what he needs and what others need. His predicament is of his own making but so very sad. Thank you Anne Tyler for once again bringing us such real characters.

Micah is a man devoted to daily routines and following the rules down to the letter.

Wake up, dress, go for a run at 7:15. Begin work as a self-employed technology consultant around 10, (Tech Hermit is his handle). And that sounds about right for Micah.

In the afternoons he deals with tasks in the apartment building. Micah serves as the super. Each day has its own assignment: vacuuming day…dusting day thorough cleaning of the kitchen day... in other words his behavior is quite persnickety and somewhat comedic. Otherwise this is quite a sad story of a man’s life. Now that’s just my take because Micah really does seem content. Micah thinks of himself as a good guy with a good life.

His life takes a pretty big turn when the son of his college girlfriend turns up at his door wondering if Micah might be his father, and it’s really a shock when he agrees to let 18-year-old Brink crash in his apartment for a night. Poor, innocent Micah never thought this would cause his “woman friend,” Cass, to break up with him. Micah feels he’s too old to use the term girlfriend. “There I was, on the verge of losing my apartment,” she says. “What did you do? Quickly invite the nearest stranger into your spare room.”

A bit blindsided at first, Micah slowly begins to see the pattern that has kept him warily distant from other people, particularly the girlfriends who were only briefly a part of his life. The girls were always the ones who initiated the breakups.

I like that Micah has this insight into his own personality flaw. That’s something we could all , including myself, be a little better at noticing,

All this leads up to a rather abrupt, yet to this reader, a satisfying ending.

My take...
There is not a lot of meat to the story and absolutely no twists or exciting events, but, I really enjoyed getting to know Micah.

This was a quick, easy read. The characters were typical Anne Tyler Baltimore-quirky, but there was not a lot of depth in the portrayals and not much development over the course of the book. Unfortunately, the whole thing felt a little "dialed-in." I can't say it was an unpleasant few hours spent reading, but not one of Tyler's best, by any means.
2.5 stars

I always enjoy Anne Tyler's books, but I think I have a new favorite. Micah's life is, on the surface, ultra organized and unvarying, but I found myself fascinated by his take on how things happen. I am sure this book will be very popular in our library system. I can’t wait to share it with all lovers of great fiction.

I love Anne Tyler's writing and this book is no exception. I have to agree with one of the reviewers, however, that the ending seemed unfinished. Perhaps, that was the author's intention for the reader to imagine what happens next. Still her perception and view of everyday people are spot-on.

What can I say about a perfect little novel? Every word is meaningful, every sentence presents perfect descriptions. This is the story of Micah, an exacting man, living alone and having limited contact with the outside world. Even his company name is a perfect title for his life, TECH HERMIT.

He does have a family, described in a few pages, but giving such clarity (and smiles) to the reader. Tyler is able to describe them and allow us to understand why Micah is who he is. He has a “lady friend” but resists a close relationship.

A young stranger comes to his door and shakes up his life. Perhaps, Micah isn’t truly a hermit?

I love Tyler’s writing, I love this novel, and I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this gem.

Any new book by Anne Tyler is big news for me, a visit to the Homesick Restaurant. REDHEAD BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD stars Micah Mortimer as a lone runner in his early forties, sole operator of Tech Hermit (an one-man Geek Squad), and super of the apartment building where he lives rent-free in the basement. He does have Cass, a "woman friend," but they live separate lives. His highly organized life is upended when a young man appears on his stoop, claiming to be his son and Cass faces the threat of eviction from her sublet apartment.

"Redhead by the Side of the Road" came to such an abrupt end that I thought there must be a mistake and I was only sent an excerpt to review. The novel is building up in the classic Anne Tyler fashion of carefully inspooling each character and showing us their foibles and loveability, but then . . .the end, just as I was getting into it and seeing all the directions the story could go.

What there is in "Redhead" is a good start, there just needed to be more. Please.

3.5 stars.

~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader