Books on Tap met at Beer Run on Thursday, November 2 to discuss Anne Tyler’s 1985 National Book Critics Circle Award winning novel The Accidental Tourist. Following a horrible tragedy, Baltimore-based travel writer Macon Leary finds his marriage to his wife Sarah (and his life) unraveling. He attempts to regroup and recover with the help of his slightly eccentric adult siblings and a persistent dog trainer, Muriel, who emphatically inserts herself into his world.
Our group discussed various themes touched on in the book including:
Oddball families – after an accident leaves Macon with a broken leg, he is forced to move in with his unconventional siblings while he heals. They are as peculiar as Macon. Habits rule their household. They all lean on rituals and tend to over-organize everything. They don’t answer the phone, they often dine on baked potatoes, and play the same made-up card game they’ve played since they were children.
Grief – everyone grieves in their own way. It can either bring couples together or tear them apart. The group wasn’t surprised by the fact that the tragedy led to the unraveling of Macon and Sarah’s marriage. Without the tragic death of their son, would Macon and Sarah have lasted? Will Macon and Muriel stand the test of time? One member sees them not getting along down the line and envisions an eventual break up in their relationship. Can you use someone up?
Edward, the misbehaving angry dog, was a favorite character to many in the group. His increasingly vicious behavior pushes the entire family over the edge and forces Macon to seek help. Enter Muriel, a tenacious personal dog trainer. Our readers saw Edward as a symbol of Macon’s unexpressed anger and his inability to manage or take charge of his life.
Macon seems to be the accidental tourist of his own life. He reflected that “he had not taken steps very often in his life, come to think of it. Really never. His marriage, his two jobs, his time with Murieal, his return to Sarah – all seemed to have simply befallen him. He couldn’t think of a single major act he had managed of his own accord.” In the end he wondered: “Was it too late now to begin?”
We have a few avid Anne Tyler fans in the group who have read all of her books and a few who have read several of them more than once. (This writer’s personal favorite is Ladder of Years; another member recommends Saint Maybe and A Patchwork Planet.) For those interested, there is also an “Anne Tyler Tour of Baltimore”, where many of her books are set. Do you have a favorite Anne Tyler title?
The 1988 award-winning film version of The Accidental Tourist, starring William Hurt and Geena Davis (which JMRL has available to borrow), did not quite capture the quirkiness of Macon’s character according to one viewer.
Other titles mentioned:
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
A Death in the Family by James Agee
Film version The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler
Other Anne Tyler books read by Books on Tap:
Clock Dance in 2020
Vinegar Girl in 2019
Upcoming titles for Books on Tap:
December 7: The Giant’s House by Elizabeth McCracken
January 4: Violeta by Isabel Allende
February 1: How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? By N. K. Jemisin