Anne Tyler, whose career as a novelist spans well over half century, has consistently produced work that observes family relationships. Evie Decker, the protagonist of A Slipping-Down Life (1970), is a 17-year old high school student. Her static life changes when she cuts the last name of a local rock singer on her forehead. This turns the public's attention both to herself and the singer. They marry, but the singer's career comes to a standstill and Evie's desperate effort to save his career and their marriage fails. Having become more independent and confident, she prepares for motherhood. In The Clock Winder (1972), the central character Elizabeth Abbott finds working for Mrs. Emerson as a handyman comfortable, until she is involved in the death of an Emerson son in an unfortunate way. In the end she overcomes her fear of influencing other people's lives and accepts marriage and motherhood. In both novels, Tyler gives an insightful account of a young woman's quest for selfhood and sees their motherhood as a choice that suits them rather than reticence or confinement.
