{"product_id":"the-beginners-goodbye-isbn-9780345533357","title":"The Beginner's Goodbye","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe beloved bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e gives us a wise, haunting, and deeply moving novel about loss and recovery, pierced throughout with her humor, wisdom, and always penetrating look at human foibles.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Crippled in his right arm and leg, Aaron grew up fending off a sister who constantly wanted to manage him. So when he meets Dorothy, an outspoken, independent young woman, she’s like a breath of fresh air. He marries her without hesitation, and they have a relatively happy, unremarkable marriage. Aaron works at his family’s vanity-publishing business, turning out titles that presume to guide beginners through the trials of life. But when a tree crashes into their house and Dorothy is killed, Aaron feels as though he has been erased forever. Only Dorothy’s unexpected appearances from the dead—in their house, on the roadway, in the market—help him to live in the moment and to find some peace. Gradually, Aaron discovers that maybe for this beginner there is indeed a way to say goodbye.“Like a modern Jane Austen, Tyler creates small worlds [depicting] the intimate bonds of friendship and family.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Beautifully intricate . . . By the exquisitely romantic emotional climax [an] ordinary life has bloomed into an opera.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An absolute charmer of a novel about grief, healing, and the transcendent power of love . . . With sparkling prose and undeniable charm, Tyler gets at the beating heart of what it means to lose someone, to say goodbye, and to realize how we are all, perhaps, always ultimate beginners in the complex business of life . . . A dazzling meditation on marriage, community, and redemption.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A pleasure to read . . . Classic Tyler . . . The wonder of Anne Tyler is how consistently clear-eyed and truthful she remains about the nature of families and especially marriage.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Anne Tyler is one of our national treasures, and \u003ci\u003eThe Beginner’s Goodbye\u003c\/i\u003e puts all of her skills on display: her warmth and wit, her generous embrace of her flawed characters, her clear-eyed observations about the inner workings of a marriage and the enduring bonds between brothers and sisters, husbands and wives.” \u003cb\u003e—Jennifer Weiner\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Beginner’s Goodbye \u003c\/i\u003eis the purest distillation of an Anne Tyler novel imaginable.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Anne Tyler has no peer. Her books just keep getting better and better. In \u003ci\u003eThe Beginner’s Goodbye,\u003c\/i\u003e I was surprised, intrigued, and delighted at every turn.”  \u003cb\u003e—Anita Shreve\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Anne Tyler never disappoints . . . Her insights about life, love, aging, marriage, siblings, grief, and unexpected happiness grow richer and deeper with each passing year and book.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePittsburgh Post-Gazette\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Over five decades of exuberant shape-shifting across the fictional landscape, Anne Tyler has cut the steady swath of a literary stalwart, writing novel after novel whose most memorable characters inhabit a cosmos all their own . . . What makes each story distinctive is the particular way its characters rebel against hereditary confines, cope with fateful crises, or forge relationships with new acquaintances who rock their world . . . Once again, Tyler exhibits her genius for the incisive, savory portrayal of marriage.” \u003cb\u003e—Julia Glass, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“This is what Tyler does better than almost any contemporary writer. She peers at the forgotten areas of the everyday, the bits that are hard to pinpoint, yet make up the bulk of our lives and relationships. And this, ultimately, is why she is such a satisfying writer: she looks at people—at life—from the inside out. This is a book not just about grief, but about hope . . . \u003ci\u003eThe Beginner’s Goodbye \u003c\/i\u003eis diverting, certainly, but also deeply rewarding. There is, in short, no guilt in the pleasure of a new Tyler. We can only hope for many, many more.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e (UK)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Its insights will keep you up nights.  . . . Ranks high in the hierarchy of Tyler’s works. And what a lineup that is.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Warm, smart, deliciously written.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eMore \u003c\/i\u003emagazine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“As always, Pulitzer Prize winner Tyler brilliantly explores a stunning range of human emotion, poignantly considering the challenges of death while creating lovable characters whose foibles capture our hearts. Essential reading.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“One of the things that makes Tyler’s work so radiant is that she seems to believe that people are inherently good and that, thanks to that goodness, ordinary lives can contain moments of great beauty, dignity, and hope. \u003ci\u003eThe Beginner’s Goodbye \u003c\/i\u003ehas all three . . . [Told] with characteristic warmth, sympathy and wisdom.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e (UK)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A scintillating gem of a novel . . . Exceptionally lithe and sparkling . . . A funny, sweet, and wise tale of lost and found love.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist \u003c\/i\u003e(starred)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Elegant . . . An uplifting tale of love and forgiveness. By the end of this wonderful book, you’ve lived the lives and loves of these characters in the best possible way.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e(starred, Pick of the Week)\u003c\/b\u003eANNE 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, \u003ci\u003eA Spool of Blue Thread,\u003c\/i\u003e was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2015. Her eleventh novel, \u003ci\u003eBreathing Lessons,\u003c\/i\u003e was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1989. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.The strangest thing about my wife’s return from the dead was how other people reacted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe were strolling through Belvedere Square, for instance, on an early-­spring afternoon when we met our old next-­door neighbor, Jim Rust. “Well, what do you know,” he said to me. “Aaron!” Then he noticed Dorothy beside me. She stood peering up at him with one hand shielding her forehead from the sun. His eyes widened and he turned to me again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI said, “How’s it going, Jim?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVisibly, he pulled himself together. “Oh . . . great,” he said. “I mean . . . or, rather . . . but of course we miss you. Neighborhood is not the same without you!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe was focusing on me alone—­specifically, on my mouth, as if I were the one who was talking. He wouldn’t look at Dorothy. He had pivoted a few inches so as to exclude her from his line of vision.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI took pity on him. I said, “Well, tell everybody hello,” and we walked on. Beside me, Dorothy gave one of her dry chuckles.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOther people pretended not to recognize either one of us. They would catch sight of us from a distance, and this sort of jolt would alter their expressions and they would all at once dart down  a side street, busy-­busy, much to accomplish, very important concerns on their minds. I didn’t hold it against them. I knew this was a lot to adjust to. In their position, I might have behaved the same way. I like to think I wouldn’t, but I might have.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe ones who made me laugh aloud were the ones who had forgotten she’d died. Granted, there were only two or three of those—­people who barely knew us. In line at the bank once we were spotted by Mr. von Sant, who had handled our mortgage application several years before. He was crossing the lobby and he paused to ask, “You two still enjoying the house?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Oh, yes,” I told him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJust to keep things simple.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI pictured how the realization would hit him a few minutes later. \u003ci\u003eWait\u003c\/i\u003e! he would say to himself, as he was sitting back down at his desk. \u003ci\u003eDidn’t I hear something abou\u003c\/i\u003et . . . ?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnless he never gave us another thought. Or hadn’t heard the news in the first place. He’d go on forever assuming that the house was still intact, and Dorothy still alive, and the two of us still happily, unremarkably married.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI had moved in by then with my sister, who lived in our parents’ old place in north Baltimore. Was that why Dorothy came back when she did? She hadn’t much cared for Nandina. She thought she was too bossy. Well, she \u003ci\u003ewas\u003c\/i\u003e too bossy. Is. She’s especially bossy with me, because I have a couple of handicaps. I may not have mentioned that. I have a crippled right arm and leg. Nothing that gets in my way, but you know how older sisters can be.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOh, and also a kind of speech hesitation, but only intermittently. I seldom even hear it, myself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn fact, I have often wondered what made Dorothy select the moment she did to come back. It wasn’t immediately after she died, which is when you might expect. It was months and months later. Almost a year. Of course I could have just asked her, but somehow, I don’t know, the question seemed impolite. I can’t explain exactly why.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne time we ran into Irene Lance, from my office. She’s the design person there. Dorothy and I were returning from lunch. Or I had had lunch, at least, and Dorothy had fallen into step beside me as I was walking back. And suddenly we noticed Irene approaching from St. Paul. Irene was hard to miss. She was always the most elegant woman on the street, not that that was much of a challenge in Baltimore. But she would have seemed elegant anywhere. She was tall and ice-­blonde, wearing a long, flowing coat that day with the collar turned up around her throat and the hemline swirling about her shins in the brisk spring breeze. I was curious. How would a person like Irene handle this type of thing? So I slowed my pace, which caused Dorothy to slow hers, and by the time Irene caught sight of us we were almost at a standstill, both of us waiting to see what Irene would do.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTwo or three feet away from us, she stopped short. “Oh . . . my . . . God,” she said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe smiled.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“UPS,” she said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI said, “What?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I phoned UPS for a pickup and there’s nobody in the office.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Well, never mind. We’re heading back there right now,” I told her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI used the word “we” on purpose, although Dorothy would most likely depart before I entered the building.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut all Irene said was, “Thanks, Aaron. I must be getting Alzheimer’s.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd off she went, without another word.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe would \u003ci\u003ereally\u003c\/i\u003e have worried about Alzheimer’s if she had known what she’d just overlooked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI glanced over at Dorothy, expecting her to share the joke, but she was pursuing her own line of thought. “Wild Strawberries,” she said, in a reflective tone of voice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Pardon?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“That’s who Irene reminds me of. The woman in the old Bergman movie—­the daughter-­in-­law, with the skinned-­back bun. Remember her?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ingrid Thulin,” I said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDorothy raised her eyebrows slightly, to show she was impressed, but it wasn’t so very difficult to dredge that name up. I had been enamored with Ingrid Thulin since college. I liked her cool, collected air.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“How long do you suppose it will be before Irene does a double take?” I asked Dorothy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDorothy merely shrugged.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe seemed to view our situation much more matter-­of-­factly than I did.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMaybe the reason I didn’t ask Dorothy why she had come back when she did was that I worried it would make her ask herself the same question. If she had just sort of \u003ci\u003ewandered\u003c\/i\u003e back, absentmindedly, the way you would return to an old address out of habit, then once I’d brought it up she might say, “Oh! My goodness! I should be going!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOr maybe she would imagine I was asking what she was doing here. Why she had come back at all, in other words. Like when you ask a houseguest how long he’s planning to stay and he suspects you’re asking, “When can I hope to be rid of you?” Maybe that was why I felt it wouldn’t be polite.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt would kill me if she left. I had already gone through that once. I didn’t think I could do it all over again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe was short and plump and serious-­looking. She had a broad, olive-­skinned face, appealingly flat-­planed, and calm black eyes that were noticeably level, with that perfect symmetry that makes the viewer feel rested. Her hair, which she cut herself in a heedless, blunt, square style, was deeply, absolutely black, and all of a piece. (Her family had come from Mexico two generations before.) And yet I don’t think other people recognized how attractive she was, because she hid it. Or, no, not even that; she was too unaware of it to hide it. She wore owlish, round-­lensed glasses that mocked the shape of her face. Her clothes made her figure seem squat—­wide, straight trousers and man-­tailored shirts, chunky crepe-­soled shoes of a type that waitresses favored in diners. Only I noticed the creases as fine as silk threads that encircled her wrists and her neck. Only I knew her dear, pudgy feet, with the nails like tiny seashells.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy sister said Dorothy was too old for me, but that was just because I had foolishly told the truth when I was asked. Even though she was eight years my senior—­forty-­three when she died—­she seemed younger, because of that good strong Hispanic skin. Plus, she had enough padding to fill out any lines. You wouldn’t really think about age at all, with Dorothy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy sister also said she was too short for me, and it is undeniable that when Dorothy and I hugged, all the wrong parts of us met. I am six-­feet-­four. Dorothy was not quite five-­one. If you saw us walking down the street together, my sister said, you would take us for a father and child heading off to grammar school.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd too professional, my sister said. Ha! There’s a novel objection. Dorothy was a doctor. I work as an editor in my family’s publishing firm. Not all that great a disparity, right? What Nandina meant was, too intent upon her profession. Too work-­obsessed. She left for her office early, stayed late, didn’t greet me with my slippers in the evening, barely knew how to boil an egg. Fine with me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut not with Nandina, evidently.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMaybe it was just a long, long way to travel, and that’s why it took Dorothy all those months to come back.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOr maybe she had first tried to do without me, the way I had first tried to do without her—­to “get over” my loss, “find closure,” “move on,” all those ridiculous phrases people use when they’re urging you to endure the unendurable. But eventually, she had faced the fact that we simply missed each other too much. She had given in and returned.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat’s what I liked to believe.","brand":"Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46299988721893,"sku":"NP9780345533357","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780345533357.jpg?v=1767738300","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-beginners-goodbye-isbn-9780345533357","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}