▁the ▁years ." ▁ ▁Re views ▁ ▁Mich iko ▁K ak ut ani ▁of ▁the ▁New ▁York ▁Times ▁writes , ▁" F ans ▁of ▁M s . ▁Ty ler ' s ▁work ... will ▁soon ▁recognize ▁the ▁conflict ▁[ I an ] ▁feels ▁between ▁self - s ac rifice ▁and ▁independence ▁as ▁a ▁manifest ation ▁of ▁one ▁of ▁her ▁favorite ▁them es , ▁namely ▁the ▁t ension ▁in ▁American ▁life ▁between ▁community ▁and ▁freedom , ▁famil ial ▁responsibility ▁and ▁autonom ous ▁self - definition . ▁Indeed , ▁this ▁is ▁a ▁dialect ic ▁that ▁every ▁member ▁of ▁the ▁Bed lo e ▁family ▁must ▁come ▁to ▁terms ▁with ▁by ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁novel .... Each ▁character ▁in ▁" Saint ▁Maybe " ▁has ▁been ▁fully ▁rendered , ▁f les hed ▁out ▁with ▁a ▁pal p able ▁interior ▁life , ▁and ▁each ▁has ▁been ▁fit , ▁like ▁a ▁hand - s aw ed ▁j igs aw - p uzz le ▁piece , ▁into ▁the ▁matrix ▁of ▁family ▁life . ▁ ▁The ▁result ▁is ▁a ▁warm ▁and ▁gener ous ▁novel , ▁a ▁novel ▁that ▁att ests ▁once ▁again ▁to ▁M s . ▁Ty ler ' s ▁enorm ous ▁g ifts ▁as ▁a ▁writer ▁and ▁her ▁inn ate ▁understanding ▁of ▁the ▁myster ies ▁of ▁kin ship ▁and ▁blood ." ▁ ▁Po et ▁and ▁novel ist ▁Jay ▁Par ini ▁writes , ▁" I ▁ad ored ▁Saint ▁Maybe . ▁In ▁many ▁ways ▁it ▁is ▁Anne ▁Ty ler ' s ▁most ▁s oph istic ated ▁work , ▁a ▁real istic ▁chron