Do you love this title? Do you love witty prose and quirky characters and off-kilter love stories, not to mention family dilemmas that are unique in their very commonness? Do you love reading anything that has Anne Tyler’s name on it?

If so, Redhead by the Side of the Road is for you. It was for me. I’m a long-time fan of the author and jumped when I saw she had a new book out. I downloaded the Audible edition the day it was published.

The story is told from the POV of one Micah Mortimer, a good-natured forty-something oddball whose business, aptly named Tech Hermit, has him helping people with the simplest of computer chores. Micah is also the super of his apartment building, more quirky characters there.

But Micah himself is the main voice, the one with whom we sympathize, even when we know that what he has just said or done will not bring the result that he wants. Poor guy, he doesn’t connect well with women, despite the best of intentions. His family knows him, loves him, and indulges his quirks. Women aren’t as forgiving.

There’s humor here, and a family crisis, and a love story or two. But Tyler’s work shines brightest in characterization, and she remains in top form here.

This book is charming, if short – actually, more novella than novel. So be forewarned. I wasn’t, which left me hungry at the end.