A Slipping-Down Life

I am a huge fan of Anne Tyler's. She writes about quirky characters with such art, fleshing out their traits and circumstances. I wouldn't hesitate recommending her works, but this one did not resonate with me. I think it's because both the main characters, the girl, who's an outsider at school, and the boy, a musician who has a habit of blurting out sentences that make little or no sense, are apathetic. They both have caring parents and yet there seems to be no connection with them, no love or anger shown. Maybe in their passivity at home. Yes, the girl acts out in a major way, which I won't reveal and that is startling. But on the whole, since the main characters didn't seem to care, I didn't either. But all art, including books, are subjective. I'd encourage readers to have a look and form their own opinion.