Ann Patchett’s Whistler Turns Sorrow Into Gentle Hope

Vulture’s Emma Alpern reviews Ann Patchett’s Whistler, praising its warmth and compassionate look at a fractured family as a beloved stepfather re-enters a middle-aged woman’s life; a tense reunion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art triggers memories of a 1972 car crash that ended a marriage, and while Patchett’s maudlin tendencies can feel indulgent, the review argues she handles that tenderness with humane grace.