A Patchwork Planet Reader's Guide (Paperback)

From Anne Tyler, her 14th novel, her newest best-seller -- the story of a lovable loser who's trying to get this life in order.

Barnaby Gaitlin has been in trouble ever since adolescence. He has this habit of breaking into other people's houses -- not for big loot, but simply to read their mail, pore over their photo albums, and sneak away some of their precious mementos. But for 11 years now he's been working steadily for Rent-a-Back, renting his back to old folks and shut-ins who can't move their own porch furniture. At last, his life seems to be on an even keel.

Still, the Gaitlins ("old" Baltimore) cannot forget the price they paid for buying off Barnaby's former victims. And his ex-wife sees him only as an intrusion in the life of their little gift, Opal. Even the nice, steady woman (his guardian angel?) who seems to have designs on him doesn't fully trust him, it develops, when the chips are down, and it looks as though his world may fall apart again.

There is no one like Anne Tyler, with her sharp, funny, tender perceptions about how human beings navigate in a puzzling world, and she keeps us enthralled from start to finish in this delicious new novel.