Before I forget, The Accidental Tourist became a movie in 1989, 4 years after it was published as a book. And while not major characters, there was a neighbor named Sue and a niece named Susan. It was also National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction that year.
Macon is a reluctant travel writer. He hates to travel and writes travel guides for businessmen whom he presumes don't like to travel either. His son has been murdered and his wife has left him. Macon was also born into a family that likes to keep things very routine. Macon and his siblings put the "quirk" in "quirky." This makes his entrance into single-dom after marriage quite entertaining.
Some of the most interesting scenes in the story were when Macon was still living home, trying to make things easier - sleeping in a sweatsuit so he wouldn't even need to get dressed. Oh, and yes, he did wash the sweatsuit - while he was wearing it in the shower! He created a crazy kind of laundry chute. At this moment I can't recall why he needed a laundry chute. He sewed sheets into sleeping bags so he wouldn't have to make the bed or change the linens. He washed his clothing in the bathtub while taking his shower.
This book was all about the characters. We see Macon go from unhappy married man and transition several times. We watch Macon's sister, Rose, develop into a full-fledged character. The brothers remain caricatures but they're of real people. My favorite characterization in the book was of Macon's boss, Julian. 'A dashing sailor, a speedy driver, a frequenter of singles bars, he was the kind of man who would make a purchase without consulting Consumer Reports.' Imagine that! (My dad wouldn't make a purchase without consulting Consumer Reports but he was not nearly as set in his way as Macon was.
Muriel, Macon's dog trainer, was a character herself. And I mean that in the non-literal sense! What a character! She had another one of my favorite lines.
"Sometimes late at night when I get desperate for someone to talk to I call the time signal," Muriel said. " 'At the tone the time will be eleven...forty-eight. And fifty seconds.' " Her voice took on a fruity fullness. " 'At the tone the time will be eleven... forty-nine. Exactly.'Do you remember the days of calling TIME? A younger person reading the book - or reading this post - might not have a clue about what that's all about.
The people in Macon's life refer to Muriel as "this Muriel person." That made me smile, too. My mother had a friend that was referred to as "that Doris."
I liked the characters. This novel begs you to think about whether or not it's enough to like the person you when you're with someone and you don't necessarily need to feel love. Who brings out your best self?
As a divorced person - and as someone who loves to travel and in my early years had aspirations to be a travel writer - I liked Tyler's take on what it's like to be newly separated and not yet divorced as well as what it's like to be a travel writer who doesn't like to travel.
I would only recommend this book to people who don't need a lot of action in a story. There's a level of sadness in the novel. A child being murdered, elements of divorce, neglect by a parent. On the other hand, there are humorous warm moments dealing with relationships we have with others and with ourselves.
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