With her spare, elegant prose Anne Tyler effortlessly draws us into Aaron's story. This man who was faced with the sudden loss of his wife now must navigate the uncertain territory of grief & grapple with how to move on with his life. Tyler simply, quietly tells Aaron & Dorothy's story weaving in vignettes of those who people it giving us further insight about Aaron & how his life has been shaped.
It's easy to see why Tyler is a Pulitzer Prize winner.

Anne Tyler gives us a wise, haunting, and deeply moving new novel in which she explores how a middle-aged man, ripped apart by the death of his wife, is gradually restored by her frequent appearances—in their house, on the roadway, in the market.

Crippled in his right arm and leg, Aaron spent his childhood fending off a sister who wants to manage him. So when he meets Dorothy, a plain, outspoken, self-dependent young woman, she is like a breath of fresh air. Unhesitatingly he marries her, and they have a relatively happy, unremarkable marriage. But when a tree crashes into their house and Dorothy is killed, Aaron feels as though he has been erased forever. Only Dorothy’s unexpected appearances from the dead help him to live in the moment and to find some peace.

Gradually he discovers, as he works in the family’s vanity-publishing business, turning out titles that presume to guide beginners through the trials of life, that maybe for this beginner there is a way of saying goodbye.

I knew i had read this book before but since it was for a book club and i had forgotten all the nuances, i reread it. easy because it was short. A good read....interesting to see how Aaron evaluates the relationship as he goes through his grieving process.