In Whistler, Ann Patchett’s latest novel, she returns to her roots with a novel about complicated family dynamics and the relationships in childhood that shape identity and one’s sense of self. One afternoon at the Met in New York City, Daphne, a middle aged woman visiting the museum with her husband, encounters an older man who has been following her through the rooms. He turns out to be Eddie, a man who was married to her mother for several years when she was young. Although she hasn’t seen him in over forty years, their connection and affection are immediately apparent, and their reunion is a happy one that spurs days of conversation about what happened when she was young and why he disappeared so suddenly from her life. Soon, Daphne’s mother and her sister Leda become involved in this rekindled relationship, providing depth and new perspectives to what happened decades before. Patchett’s famous eye for detail, her realistic conversation and her satisfying analysis of relationships are all on display here, and Whistler is satisfying reading without need for showy plot twists or other pyrotechnics. If you liked Commonwealth or The Dutch House, this one is for you.