24 in ’24 Challenge – Book 9 “French Braid” by Anne Tyler

French Braid by Anne Tyler is a story about members of families who each have their own lives and characters but who interweave with others. The story starts in the 1950s and dips into the family story several times before coming to an end at the time of the pandemic. The conclusion of the story doesn’t resolve some of the issues which have been part of the story and the author seems clear that we often can’t understand why people behave the way that they do and that sometimes even they don’t understand.

There are no major events in the book but just the everyday story of a family adjusting to the world and the people around them. The book moves from a family holiday when the children are small to a train journey in the current day. It includes the seeming alienation of one son, the mother leaving home to pursue her artistic career, an anniversary party and the journey to an art show. Different parts of the story are seen from different points of view so the reader sometimes has information which the characters don’t. It’s a simple story but the author gives you plenty to think about.

Not all the characters in this book are “nice”, or maybe it is truer to say that they are sometimes not nice. Some of the decisions that people make are alienating to others and their reasoning is often hidden. The book is filled with detail but yet long periods pass with no information and characters who have featured strongly disappear and we learn little more of their lives. The message of the book seems to be that we don’t always understand ourselves or others and that we are woven together by history, events and expectations.

I did enjoy this book. I have read a few of her previous stories and you can read my reviews here and here – the themes are very similar. I do find it hard to read a novel that doesn’t have an ending where everything comes together and all the issues are resolved but I am coming to accept, and enjoy, that this is not the way that Anne Tyler writes.