If Morning Ever Comes

1964, as part of 1990 Wings Books edition of Anne Tyler: Four Complete Novels
Anne Tyler
If Morning Ever Comes
Purchased new for $11.99, marked down from $52.50
Good condition hardcover
C

This was 22-year-old Anne Tyler's debut, shortly after she began her long marriage to Taghi Mohammad Modarressi.  Unlike her many Baltimore novels, it's set in the South, where Tyler grew up.  So it's of interest for those reasons, but the characterization and plotting are weak.  There were moments when I wanted to read more about Ben Joe's family, but nothing really came into focus.  In particular, I can't understand why any of the characters make the decisions about romance they do, including Ben Joe's elopement with an ex-girlfriend.  So much of who ends up with whom feels arbitrary, and not in an ironic Jane Austen sort of manner.

As I recall, I've kept this volume for Morgan's Passing, so I'm curious to see how the other two novels (The Tin Can Tree and Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant) hold up.