Anne Tyler tells stories about families. She makes ordinary life feel important. Her characters are so real you might think you know them.
If you love her style, and her way of finding the extraordinary in the everyday, you might be looking for authors with a similar sensibility. This article suggests a few you could explore.
Elizabeth Strout is an American author known for her insightful novels about everyday life and the quiet drama of ordinary families and small towns.
Readers who enjoy Anne Tyler’s heartfelt observations of human nature and family dynamics will find Elizabeth Strout’s style similarly engaging.
Her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “Olive Kitteridge,” is a collection of linked short stories centered around Olive, a sharp-tongued retired schoolteacher in coastal Maine. Olive isn’t always an easy character to like, but she’s fascinating.
Through her eyes and experiences, you see both the kindness and sadness beneath the surface of small-town life. Strout paints emotional portraits of people you feel you could actually meet, in prose that’s elegant, clear and deeply relatable.
If you enjoy Anne Tyler’s stories about ordinary lives with quiet yet profound emotional depth, you may also appreciate Alice Munro. Munro is a Canadian author famous for her skillful and powerful short stories about everyday people facing pivotal moments.
Her acclaimed collection “Dear Life” offers stories set mostly in rural Canada, where characters navigate sudden, life-changing realizations and memories that quietly shape their futures.
Munro captures people’s internal struggles beautifully and highlights how seemingly small events can lead to immense reflection. Each story reveals subtle but significant truths about human nature and relationships, resonating deeply with fans of Tyler’s thoughtful storytelling.
If you enjoy Anne Tyler’s perceptive stories about family dynamics and ordinary lives, you might appreciate the novels of Liane Moriarty. Moriarty is an Australian author known for her insightful and witty storytelling about relationships, secrets, and suburban life.
In her bestseller “Big Little Lies,” Moriarty explores the hidden tensions and dark undercurrents beneath the tidy surface of a coastal community.
The book centers around three mothers whose seemingly perfect lives begin to unravel after a tragic event occurs at their children’s school. Moriarty weaves humor, suspense, and emotional depth into her narrative, bringing to life characters who seem authentic and relatable.
Her sharp observations and engaging writing style make “Big Little Lies” a memorable exploration of friendship, marriage, and parenting—with an unexpected twist.
Readers who enjoy Anne Tyler’s warm yet sharply observant portraits of family life might appreciate Anne Lamott’s thoughtful storytelling. Lamott writes with humor and honesty about life’s messy moments and the struggles of inner growth.
Her novel “Rosie” tells the story of a single mother named Elizabeth and her smart but lively daughter, Rosie.
Set against a backdrop of emotional ups and downs, their relationship explores the complexity of love, motherhood, and figuring out who you are, as Elizabeth navigates her journey toward sobriety while balancing personal responsibilities.
Lamott crafts characters that vibrate with authenticity, dealing with hardships in ways that feel raw yet hopeful.
Readers who appreciate Anne Tyler’s gentle yet insightful portrayals of everyday lives may also connect deeply with Marilynne Robinson. Robinson’s novel “Gilead” captures the quiet reflections of John Ames, an elderly preacher in rural Iowa.
Through a heartfelt letter to his young son, Ames shares stories from his past, insights on faith, and wisdom learned over time. This intimate look at family bonds and small-town life resonates with compassion and sincerity, qualities Anne Tyler readers often seek.
Robinson’s careful attention to character and thoughtful exploration of life’s simpler moments make “Gilead” especially touching and memorable.
Readers who enjoy Anne Tyler’s stories of family dynamics and relatable characters may find Sue Miller’s work equally engaging. Miller’s novels explore personal relationships and family tensions with empathy and sensitivity.
Her novel “The Good Mother” examines Anna Dunlap’s difficult journey through divorce and single motherhood. When Anna finds love again and tries to rebuild her life, an unexpected controversy arises that threatens her custody of her daughter.
Miller captures the emotional complexity of motherhood, love, and loss in a way that resonates long after the story ends.
Barbara Kingsolver is an American author known for character-driven novels that explore family dynamics, identity, and the complexity of human relationships. Readers who appreciate Anne Tyler’s thoughtful portrayals of everyday people might find Kingsolver equally engaging.
Her novel “The Bean Trees” follows Taylor Greer, a spirited young woman from rural Kentucky, determined to escape her small-town life. As Taylor crosses the country, unexpected circumstances leave her responsible for an abandoned child.
Set against the vivid backdrop of the Southwest, the story sensitively portrays the bonds of friendship and love that redefine family in surprising and heartfelt ways.
Colm Tóibín is an Irish novelist known for his thoughtful and perceptive storytelling, often centering on themes of family, relationships, and personal identity.
Readers who appreciate Anne Tyler’s gentle yet insightful explorations of everyday lives may connect with Tóibín’s novel “Brooklyn.” Set in the 1950s, this book follows Eilis Lacey, a young woman who leaves her small Irish hometown and moves to New York.
She struggles through homesickness, forms new relationships, and navigates the conflicting worlds of her past and present. Tóibín weaves a deeply human story about longing, belonging, and finding one’s place in an unfamiliar world.
Kent Haruf writes stories about ordinary people and the quiet beauty of their everyday lives. If you enjoy Anne Tyler’s gentle style and thoughtful characters, then Kent Haruf’s novel “Plainsong” might resonate with you.
Set in the small rural town of Holt, Colorado, “Plainsong” follows the connected lives of several locals—a pair of elderly brothers on their cattle farm, a high school teacher coping with raising his two young sons on his own, and a pregnant teenager abandoned by her mother.
It’s a warm, honest story told clearly and simply, about struggles, kindness, and the healing quality of connection.
Readers who enjoy Anne Tyler’s thoughtful insights into family relationships and personal connections may also appreciate Ann Patchett’s novels.
Patchett writes nuanced stories about ordinary lives confronted by extraordinary circumstances, which readers will find evident in her novel “Commonwealth”.
The book spans decades and follows the intertwined lives of two families after a chance encounter at a child’s christening party dramatically changes their futures.
Patchett skillfully explores themes of loyalty, the complexity of blended families, and the sometimes hidden consequences of choices made long ago.
Her careful attention to character depth and realistic portrayal of life’s complexity offer readers another author whose stories feel both relatable and deeply human.
If you enjoy Anne Tyler’s gentle portrayal of everyday characters and heartfelt storytelling, Rachel Joyce may also appeal to your taste. Joyce is a British author known for her ability to find depth and warmth in quiet, ordinary lives.
Her novel “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry” tells the story of Harold Fry, a retired man who unexpectedly embarks on a journey across England on foot. Starting as a simple trip to mail a letter, Harold suddenly finds himself walking hundreds of miles to see a dying friend.
On his journey, Harold encounters a variety of characters and reflects on his life, relationships, and missed opportunities. The novel paints a moving portrait of hope, redemption, and the power of small acts of bravery.
Rachel Joyce crafts stories that linger long after the final page because of their sincerity and emotional depth.
Books by Joanna Trollope often explore family relationships and life’s quiet dramas, similar in feel to Anne Tyler’s novels. In “An Unsuitable Match,” Trollope introduces readers to Rose and Tyler, two people who find love later in life and decide to marry.
While they hope for support from their adult children, the news instead stirs up unexpected tensions and resistance.
Trollope portrays realistic family dynamics with warmth, wit, and empathy, and readers who appreciate Anne Tyler’s gentle insights into ordinary lives might find enjoyment in Trollope’s thoughtful storytelling.
Readers who enjoy Anne Tyler’s novels for their warm, humorous portrayals of everyday family life may find a similar tone in the work of Richard Russo.
Russo excels at writing stories about ordinary people in small-town America, with all their humor, disappointments, and quiet triumphs.
His novel “Empire Falls” centers on Miles Roby, a man stuck managing a diner in his run-down hometown while coping with family dramas, past regrets, and community decline.
The characters in this struggling town feel deeply authentic, their lives intersect in touching, funny, and unexpected ways. Russo brings warmth and subtle humor to the sadness and hopes of ordinary life, something readers familiar with Tyler’s style might appreciate.
If you enjoy Anne Tyler’s warm storytelling and thoughtful insights into everyday lives, Carol Shields is another author worth exploring. Shields’s novel “The Stone Diaries” explores the life of Daisy Goodwill from birth through old age.
Daisy’s story spans decades and is told through varied perspectives and narrative styles. Details reveal the joys, disappointments, and quiet mysteries that make up ordinary existence. Shields portrays how individual memories and experiences shape a person’s identity over time.
The novel is deeply reflective and emotionally authentic, qualities that fans of Anne Tyler will likely appreciate.
Books by Jane Smiley often explore family dynamics with warmth, humor, and emotional depth that readers of Anne Tyler will particularly enjoy. Her novel “A Thousand Acres” centers on three sisters who inherit their father’s farm—the largest in their community.
As the sisters navigate this unexpected inheritance, long-held secrets and simmering resentments emerge. The story thoughtfully translates Shakespeare’s “King Lear” into an Iowa farmland setting.
Like Tyler, Smiley creates characters with complexity and honesty, drawing readers into an authentic, moving portrayal of family ties and rural life.