review of redhead by the side of the road

Unlucky with girls before, he and Cass have it “down to a system” after three years together. He likes repairing computers so he can be his own boss, has four sisters who are fond of him, finicky habits and all (he marks days for specific chores) and is comfortable with restful-to-look-at Cass. Micah, 43 on his next birthday, is not exactly a painful stick-in-the-mud. Meet Micah Mortimer, the Tech Hermit - also the name of his company - who likes things to be definite and fears making missteps on the road and everywhere else. Highly recommend this heartwarming novel.At a time when nothing is certain, it is comforting to read about a man whose routine is etched in stone. Sometimes when he was dealing with people, he felt like he was operating one of those claw machines on a boardwalk, those shovel things where you tried to scoop up a prize but the controls were too unwieldy and you worked at too great a remove. And it’s not because he doesn’t love them enough. Micah of course is an easy character to root for – a good kind man who cannot see where he’s failed the ones he loves. Her characters have life-changing quandaries before them, quandaries such as you and I might face, and she describes her protagonists, their situations and the people around them so beautifully – and often with humor-laced descriptions – that one is moved. Tyler’s writing is perceptive and empathetic. When I think of a word to describe the effect of Tyler’s writing, one word always pops up : heartfelt. He has built his life around people he loves, and at this juncture to restart, rebuild! He is not sure he can.

He is a good guy, he thinks, trying to do the right thing. Micah finds his life suddenly upended and he isn’t quite sure why. Also Micah’s “woman-friend”, the gentle undemanding Cass is facing eviction from her own apartment, but Micah’s humorous retort on hearing of it rubs her the wrong way.

He is living a content, low-key life when trouble strikes in the form of Brink, a teenager who says he’s Micah’s son. His main gig is being the superintendent of a Baltimore apartment building. He’s got a side-gig as the Tech Hermit where he helps various technologically challenged folks with their issues. This is a story of people – most are – but Tyler tells them so much better than everyone else. So I picked up “Redhead by the side of the Road” and like it even better! I recently read Ladder of Years and liked it very much.

Review of redhead by the side of the road