BOOK REVIEW: Tinkers by Paul Harding (Pulitzer Prize novel)

Cover of the book, tinkers, reviewed by Markus McDowell

An old man lies dying. Propped up in his living room and surrounded by his children and grandchildren, George Washington Crosby drifts in and out of consciousness, back to the wonder and pain of his impoverished childhood in Maine. As the clock repairer’s time winds down, his memories intertwine with those of his father, an epileptic, itinerant peddler and his grandfather, a Methodist preacher beset by madness. At once heartbreaking and life affirming, Tinkers is an elegiac meditation on love, loss, illness, faith, and the fierce beauty of nature.
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The prose in this Pulitzer Prize winner is beautiful. The author takes you into the world of a dying man, his suffering, and some anecdotes from his early life. The anecdotes take us into the lives and thoughts of his father and grandfather as well. Harding’s vivid writing makes you feel, see, and experience the scenes in a visceral way. Well done!

As a literary experiment, pushing the boundaries of “novel,” I appreciated it. It was creative and innovative. As a reader of story, I was bored. Many of these “mini-plot” novels have almost no plot (internal or external), I found myself always asking “so what?” Did I learn anything about the human condition? Was I moved? A little. Was I propelled through the narrative? Not really. I was glad it was a short book.
As a finely-crafted, creative peek into a narrow human experience, however, it deserved the Prize.