Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler

The prolific Anne Tyler is an author I have never read, and in a matter of a short time, have read "Saint Maybe" and through another book club, "Noah's Compass. " One more book "Back When We Were Grown Ups" awaits my break in books, begging to be read.

What did the Park Grove Library Book Club members think when we discussed this book at our September meeting?  Most liked it, a couple did not.  One stated "Didn't hate it, didn't love it."

"Could have happened to anyone in real life, " someone stated, "things like that happen."

Inside the book cover, we read:  In 1965 the Bedloe family lives on a quiet street in Baltimore.  It is an "ideal, apple-pie household," and seventeen-year-old Ian has all the usual expectations and dreams for the future.  One of our first questions had to do with Ian.  Was it his fault?  Did his feelings toward Lucy play a role?  We commented that he was aroused by his sister-in-law and had to take a step back regarding his feelings surfacing and guilt.  He was taken advantage of with babysitting.  He didn't understand her, was trying to put that together like a puzzle piece.  We, the readers, felt we didn't know anything about her, were mystified by her.  What kind of woman would send a bowling ball through the mail?

After the tragedy, Ian takes care of the children, along with his parents.  We talked about the children's effort to marry him off, one time planning to have Miss Pennington join them at their home for an evening meal.  Agatha and Thomas took care of Daphne when she was little. Agatha did what she needed to do to keep the family together, even hiding papers in her jewelry box, telling Thomas not to tell anyone or they'll ship us off to some strangers.

Ian wondered if he had done the right things in his life, did he make the right choices with the kids.  We talked about that most peoples life don't go exactly as planned.  We thought good morals were stressed through the whole book, and family values.  Would the grandparents have kept the kids if they didn't have Ian?  Was he a hero?  Was he a Saint?  Maybe.

Did we like how the book ended?  We didn't get the happily ever after.  We felt he was helping in someone else's life, becoming a dad again, sacrificing life again. 


Footnote:  Agatha eventually married, became an oncologist, still taking care of people.  Thomas, the middle child, Monica found out in the search of the book, was a software programmer inventing children's games.