Ladder of Years

 

 

Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler. New York, Vinatge Books, 1995. 325p. ****

"Baltimore woman disappears during family vacation." Delia F. Grinstead, 40 years old, wife of a physician, mother to three and with her two sisters goes on a vacation with her family and doesn't return. There isn't one incident that is a tipping point, she walks away from the beach blanket in Bethany Beach and just keeps walking. Will anyone miss her, will they come looking for her, does anyone care? 

I enjoyed Delia's story and could identify with some of her feelings. What mother doesn't feel unappreciated at some point in time and could just keep walking out the door and down the steps? With $500 of vacation money in her pocket and wearing her husband's beach robe, Delia didn't plan in advance and has no idea where she is going, however, she feels free and at peace. I read this book in a day and a half even though it has been hard to focus and enjoy reading. It's the week before Christmas in the middle of a pandemic, so anxiety is high. Some of the Amazon reviews of this book are not kind and suggest that Delia has nothing to complain about---her husband doesn't beat her, she's financially secure and has three healthy children. All true, but a chance encounter in the supermarket and her family's reaction to accusation against her, cause Delia to feel unimportant and taken for granted. Anne Tyler has captured those feelings and given a voice to many voices unheard. I enjoyed this book and grateful that it is a Book Club choice for the The Bee Keepers - The Book Hive Book Club. I once read a story about a woman who left her life behind by signing up to work on a cruise ship. That story like this one fascinated me. 

No spoilers here, however, I would often wonder, what happens next? Is this what happens to missing people and do they ever just go home again?  

ANNE TYLER was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is the author of more than twenty novels. Her twentieth novel, A Spool of Blue Thread, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2015. Her eleventh novel, Breathing Lessons, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1989. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland. For more information: https://annetyler.com

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