The Return Trip is Shorter by Anne Tyler SIGNED

Published 29 April 2027 - available to pre-order now Signed & Exclusive

The joyous, perceptive new novel from bestselling,
prizewinning Anne Tyler: an unforgettable brother
and sister learn to help each other navigate life’s
surprises, big and small.

A tender, uplifting story about second chances later in life: As an
unexpected arrival disrupts a settled routine, this is a moving exploration of
love, family, grief and the possibility of change – even when you think your
life is already decided. This is immersive, character-driven storytelling at its
finest

The joyous, perceptive new novel from bestselling, prizewinning Anne
Tyler: an unforgettable brother and sister learn to help each other
navigate life’s surprises, big and small
Ben Sullivan wants to be left in peace. After his beloved wife’s death, he’s living
alone for the first time in over thirty years. His two bossy older sisters have been
trying to coax him past his grief, but that’s easy: he’s simply stopped answering
their calls.
Then, one morning, who should he find on his doorstep but his youngest sister,
Cecily. The baby of the family, born when Ben was already away at college, it
feels like they barely even know each other. But Cecily has broken up with her
latest boyfriend, and needs a place to stay. Chatty, forgetful, clumsy and
altogether too attached to frozen dinners, she soon proves hard to get rid of.
As Cecily and her various dramas make themselves at home at Ben’s,
memories are set off for him of childhood, family and his own marriage, both its
joys and its shadows. When Cecily’s future takes an unexpected turn, Ben is
swept up in a kind of family life he thought he’d waved goodbye to years ago.
And finds himself stepping up in ways he didn’t even know he was capable of.