The main problem may be that pleased readers will struggle to fill the void after turning the last page. That, and the fact that some of the Provincetown locals are a little too weird to be believable. Fortunately, this beautiful book centers mostly around people more down to earth, Toby Maytree and his wife Lou.
Annie Dillard’s latest pretty much follows Toby and Lou from their late-twenties to death. It’s part love story and part meditation, and it’s truly a joy when Toby and Lou see life through Dillard’s perceptive eyes. Somehow, Dillard’s poetic prose is at once sparse and vibrant, and more accessible than ever. Dillard hasn’t lost her occasional tendency to go overboard, but there is little else to criticize.
Anyone whose joy of literature isn’t rekindled, fanned, or ignited by The Maytrees should probably seek help.
A-
