In his debut story collection Shine/Variance, "there’s a father smiling his way through a crisis while Christmas tree shopping with his son, a daughter pretending there’s nothing wrong with her mother, brothers and sisters realising who their parents really are."
At the Guardian, Walsh tagged ten "books about families [he's] been thrilled to read about (but pretty glad not to be part of)," including:
Breathing Lessons by Anne TylerRead about another entry on the list.
Open almost any book by Tyler and you’ll dive into the heart of what family members do to each other: know each other far too well and keep goingregardless. This is my favourite. Maggie and Ira Moran, 28 years married, drive to a funeral and back in one day. They meet old high-school friends. Maggie intervenes (Ira would say meddles) in her son’s failed relationship. She holds an ideal family and marriage in her mind, and, though she’s not in either (who is?), her attempts to make things better, or at least less regrettable, are the raw and true heart of this book.
Breathing Lessons is among Laura Barnett's top ten unconventional love stories.
--Marshal Zeringue
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