Clock Dance

Anne Tyler shares four key events in the life of Willa Drake: the time her mother abandoned the family; the time Willa pondered marriage versus continuing her college education; the sudden, early loss of her husband; and, finally, the time Willa was asked to help out with childcare of a young girl when the girl's mother was shot. These four events shape Willa into the person she eventually becomes.

Anne Tyler struts her stuff in Clock Dance, a masterful writer who creates quirky characters the reader can't help but love despite their flaws. Tyler had me rooting for Willa from page one.

Clock Dance may be my favorite Anne Tyler story ever, and that is saying a lot, as I have loved many Anne Tyler novels.