A Patchwork Planet
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| A Patchwork Planet | |
| Author | Anne Tyler |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fiction |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Publication date | 1998 (1st edition) |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 287 p. (hardcover edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-375-40256-X (hardcover edition) |
A Patchwork Planet is a novel by Anne Tyler. Published in 1998 it tells the story of Barnaby Gaitlin, anti-hero and failure who suffers from more than the usual quota of misfortune. The book is noted for its complement of old people and eccentrics, and its sharply ironic humor.
[edit] Plot Summary
The novel is narrated with 29-year-old Barnaby, whose life has gone off the rails since he was caught robbing neighborhood homes as an adolescent. To the despair of his distant father, his social-climbing mother, his chilly ex-wife and his prematurely patriarchal brother, Barnaby now works for a company called Rent-a-Back, doing odd jobs for elderly clients.
He also waits, without much hope, for a visitation from the Gaitlin angel, who first suggested to Barnaby's great-grandfather the invention of the wooden dress-form that made the Gaitlins rich. He finds his angel but perhaps not where he expects.
