Ryzhik on the Side

A new novel by a living classic of American literature - a story about a second chance and the power of human connections.

Mike Mortimer is a man of habit. The younger brother of five careless sisters, naive and numerous, he is the only one who attended university, but by the age of forty-plus he still hasn't married, preferring loneliness and strict order. He runs in the mornings, he methodically follows traffic rules, he fixes computers for old ladies, and meets with a low-key girlfriend a couple of times a week. A life without passionate hopes, but also without disappointments, calm and mentally comfortable. And only a strange optical illusion - every time Mike jogs, he mistakes a fire hydrant for a red-haired boy. This aberration even starts to worry Mike - is there something wrong with his eyes, or perhaps with his soul? And one day a teenager shows up on his doorstep, claiming to be his son. And Mike's comfortable, orderly life goes down the drain.

Ann Tyler's novel is a penetrating look into the heart, filled with understanding, compassion, and humor. A story full of joy that one can always see the familiar and ordinary world in a new way.