Being unfamiliar with Anne Tyler's works, I was a little worried that Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (a book group pick) would be another subpar contemporary work with no laudable literary qualities. Though not a home run for me (it was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner award in 1983), Homesick Restaurant vastly exceeded my low expectations and turned out to be an enjoyable and interesting read.

This well-written novel follows the Tull family through life, beginning with Pearl Tull's ill-fated marriage and her struggles to raise her three children after her husband walks out on them all. We then get snippets from each of the three children--Cody, Ezra, and Jenny--frequently focusing on the often small, though traumatic, events that shaped the children into their imperfect adult selves. Homesick Restaurant explores the ways that parents' decisions and actions unalterably affect the formation of their children's personalities and futures through superb handling of characterization and viewpoint.

Based on this novel, I would definitely look into reading more of Tyler's works in the future.