1001 Books for Every Mood - Readers Guide

Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

No one creates poignant, dysfunctional characters like Anne Tyler. Case in point: Macon Leary, the travel writer who hates to travel. When his wife leaves him, Macon pares his routine to bare essentials. He launders his clothes underfoot while sloshing around in his evening shower, and sleeps in tomorrow’s underwear so he won’t have to wash pajamas. Not a moment too soon, he meets dog trainer Muriel Pritchett at the Meow-Bow Animal Hospital. With her “aggressively frizzy black hair that burgeoned to her shoulders like an Arab headdress” and her own brand of quirkiness, she reconnects him with life.

-- 1001 Books for Every Mood

Readers Guide by Maggie Bucholt

Overview

The Accidental Tourist, winner of the 1985 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, is one of Anne Tyler’s best. Called “poignant and funny” by the New York Times, and “a graceful comic novel about getting through life” by The Wall Street Journal, it tells the story of dysfunctional Macon Leary, a travel writer who hates to travel; his books for businessmen reflect his fear of the unfamiliar. After his son is killed in a senseless shooting at a fast-food restaurant, his wife, Sarah, leaves him. By accident, he falls into a relationship with Muriel Pritchard, a non-stop talker, who is fond of second-hand clothes and stiletto heels.

Set in Baltimore, the novel chronicles Macon Leary’s transformation into a man who embraces life with all its complexities. The book was made into a movie of the same name and nominated for Best Picture. The film won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Geena Davis, who plays Muriel.

Discussion Questions

1. The actions of Anne Tyler’s main character Macon Leary, a travel writer, are both comical and heartbreaking. Discuss his penchant for order after his wife, Sarah, leaves him. What makes Macon such an endearing character?

2. Anne Tyler’s gift for humor is apparent, even as she delves into the conflict between her characters. In one scene, after a meeting with his wife, Sarah, at a restaurant, Macon doesn’t realize that he has been given the wrong crutches, which are too short. Discuss other comic scenes that lighten serious moments.

3. The unforgettable Muriel Pritchard is one of Ann Tyler’s best-drawn characters. What is your first impression of Muriel? Why is she such a vital force? How does she deal with the disappointments in her life?

4. Macon and his siblings (Porter, Charles and Rose) all have the same need for routine and complete order, emotionally and physically. Do you think their childhood contributed to their sense of insecurity? Why?

5. Macon’s behavior frustrates the women in his life: his wife, Sarah, his girlfriend, Muriel, his mother Alicia, and his sister, Rose. Discuss.

6. Macon says of his publisher and friend, Julian: “He was the kind of man who would make a purchase without consulting consumer reports.” Why do you think Julian falls in love with Rose? And why is Macon’s statement so telling about his own character?

7. Macon’s wife, Sarah, accuses Macon of being the traveling armchair that is the logo for his travel books. Is she right? Discuss some of Macon’s travel tips, such as finding a restaurant in Rome that serves Chef Boyardee canned ravioli.

8. Edward, Macon’s dog, behaves more and more erratically as the novel progresses. Discuss the Welsh corgi’s strange behavior. Why is the dog an important character?

9. Charles tells Macon the family is worried about his relationship with Muriel. “I’m more myself than I’ve been my whole life long,” Macon says. What do you think Macon meant by that statement? Do you think it’s true?

10, Macon’s relationship with Muriel’s son, Alexander, deepens over the course of the book. Why is the relationship so restorative for Macon?

11. “He [Macon] began to think that who you are when you’re with somebody may matter more than whether you love her.” Macon thrives on being with Muriel, her son, and her neighbors (as compared to his wife, Sarah). Why?

12. On a plane, sitting next to an elderly woman who is terrified of flying, Macon breaks his travel rule about talking to seatmates and comforts her. “You bend. Do you understand what I’m saying? You go along with it. You ride it out,” he says. What double meaning does the dialogue confer about Macon and how he ultimately changes?

About the Author

The Accidental Tourist was Anne Tyler’s 10th novel; to date she has written 18 novels, including Breathing Lessons (her 11th) which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1989. She grew up in North Carolina, graduated Duke University, did graduate work at Columbia University, and worked as a librarian and bibliographer. All her novels are set in Baltimore, Md., where she has resided for most of her adult life.

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Also by Anne Tyler:

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
Breathing Lessons

Maggie Bucholt

Maggie Bucholt has an MFA in Writing and was awarded a fellowship by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts to work on her novel Palette. Her essay, “Death and the Desire to Live Deliberately,” was published in Desire: Women Write About Wanting (Seal Press, 2007). She is the editor of An Insider’s Guide to Southern Vermont (Viking/Plume, 1991).