Digging to America

Two very different families, unable to have their own babies, each adopt a Korean baby. The night "the girls" arrive at the airport the two families meet, eventually becoming friends. Each year on the anniversary of "arrival day" the two families get together to eat and remember, with the help of some video footage.
Ann Tyler doesn't shy away from asking difficult questions. This is a novel that examines what it is to belong. What does it mean for instance to be an American in this post 9/11 world. Anne Tyler always shows people as they really are - and the people in this lovely novel about love, death belonging and grief are as well written as ever.

Wonderful character observation (0/0 people found this helpful)

An airport lounge filled with two sets of people. There is an excitable bunch, jostling for position with a video camera. These are the All-Americans. And a quiet group of three, waiting patiently in the background. These are the Iranian-Americans. Two little baby girls arrive from Korea, for adoption with these two very different families, and a strange but beautiful friendship begins.

The characters in this book are so real you feel you know them. There is the woman who is so afraid to be politically incorrect that she ends up putting her foot in everything. There is the reserved elderly Iranian lady who is such a keen observer of life that she fails to really take part in it. There are the two little children, being brought up in very different ways and expected to get along because of their cultural background. There are so many wonderful characters, all of whom mean well, and their very well-meaning gets them into difficulty with each other.

It is a charming, well paced, beautifully told story of alienation and integration, of tactlessness and diplomacy, of needs and feelings. I loved it.

Insightful story... (0/0 people found this helpful)

My second Anne Tyler and whilst I enjoyed the story I did have slight reservations.

I liked the discussions about what it means to be American and what it means to be foreign in another country. They made me laugh and smile and I thought that makes Anne Tyler particularly insightful - she is an American herself but has clearly read situations and can see how Americans might be perceived abroad.

My reservations would be that in parts it seemed a bit implausible. Yes, ok, it's fiction but there were, for me, a few over-stretches of the imagination.

Will not be recommending (2/4 people found this helpful)

This was my first Anne Taylor novel and unfortunately I have to agree with a couple of other reviews in that this book was quite boring.

My favorite character was Maryam, she was a very interesting Iranian lady who had come over to America as part of an arranged marriage. Her role in the book was mother to Sami, who along with his wife Ziba adopted a Korean baby Susan-june. The other couple in the book Bitsy and Brad, who also adopted a Korean baby were very mundane, although Bitsy did have a bit of a flare, organising parites and binky throw aways however in the most part these characters were very flat.

The main focus was the adoption of the two Korean babies, from the moment they arrive in the country until there, sorry lost count, say 4th arrival party.

There is light at the end of the tunnel as we are allowed a brief glance at Maryam's life, I think this saved the book.

Not at her best sadly... (0/1 people found this helpful)

I have to be honest and say that I felt let down by this Anne Tyler book. Don't get me wrong- the story was good, but by the end of it I had a somewhat empty feeling. The only thing i can put this down to is the fact that the book didn't end, it had a rolling story and my idea of a great book is that the book has a definitive ending.
Having said that the characters were believable and likeable, and the two different cultures were shown beautifully. But as i said, not Tyler's best by far.

Anne Tyler

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