Anne Tyler’s remarkable career spans more than 50 years, during which she has written more than 20 novels. With over eight million copies sold worldwide, her stories have captivated readers through their nuanced depictions of everyday lives, families, and relationships.

In 2015, her novel A Spool of Blue Thread was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It’s a book that reflects the passage of time, while displaying Tyler’s skill in portraying the quiet complexities of ordinary American life.

The story follows three generations of the Whitshank family, revealing the events that have shaped them, the extraordinary secrets they’ve tried to keep from one another, and the ways in which our lives are far more complex than they appear on the surface. Parents Abby and Red are getting older, and difficult decisions must be made by their grown-up children about how best to look after them – and their beloved Baltimore home. At the same time, the children must navigate their own relationships and deeply ingrained sibling rivalries.

From a reading guide to an extract, find out more about our January Monthly Spotlight here.