Noah's Compass

“Liam really enjoyed a good movie. He found it restful to watch people's conversations without being expected to join in. But he always felt sort of lonesome if he didn't have someone next to him to nudge in the ribs at the good parts.”

Noah's Compass by veteran writer Anne Tyler is about a recently 60-year-old retired teacher named Liam who is trying to navigate life as best as he can. After he is assaulted while sleeping, he is most troubled by the fact that he has absolutely no memory of the event, when he awakens in a hospital. While researching his memory loss, he meets and falls in love with Eunice, a woman who is a "rememberer" for an elderly gentleman who suffers from dementia.

As a result of his romance with Eunice, Liam begins to realize the ways in which he has never really connected with his family members, or taken the reins of his own life.

"All along...he had experienced only the most glancing relationship with his own life. He had dodged the tough issues, avoided the conflict, and gratefully skirted adventure."

I suggest reading the book rather than listening to the audiobook, as the narrator is quite slow and more than a little annoying!

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 on GoodReads - Check out our Ripe Reads group!

Hardcover 277 pages, Audiobook 9 hours