In 1967 Willa Drake is eleven years old and living with a younger sister, a kind-hearted, gentle father and a bipolar mother.  In 1977 she comes home with her soon to be husband, Derek.  In 1997 Willa becomes a young widow with two teenage sons.  And in 2017 she has remarried and moved to Tucson when a phone call from a stranger sends her to Baltimore.  Like many of Tyler’s characters, Willa wants to please everyone, which is impossible.

Like most of Anne Tyler’s novels, Clock Dance is filled with quirky, heart-warming characters.  The neighborhood Willa visits in Baltimore has its share of endearing, well-meaning sorts.  Although I don’t think this is one of Tyler’s best, it is worth a read.  It’s engaging and fun with a likeable main character.