A Spool of Blue Thread, Anne Tyler

This is my first Anne Tyler novel and I can't account for why. It's a family drama which follows three generations of the Whitshank family, revolving around the large house they live in. It is a very american novel, the family have a really strong sense of identity which is based on only one generation, nothing is known of the generations before, and there is a pervading sense of the american dream, failed or otherwise. 

Tyler slowly and carefully reveals each member of the family, at first through other's eyes and finally through their own words or at least their own story. There is something uncannily skillful in the way she can fully draw a family and describe all the underlying frustrations, resentments, longings and sadnesses without it feeling forced or overly dramatic. The nuance of their relationships are laid out for us, and explanations are quietly revealed.