Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
TL;DR: Pearl Tull raises her three children, Cody, Ezra and Jenny, alone in Baltimore after her husband leaves. Pearl is loving but has a violent temper. As adults, the children carry the scars of their childhood in different ways. Ezra, the gentle one, runs the Homesick Restaurant and keeps trying to hold a family dinner that never quite works.
Table of Contents
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant at a Glance
| Author | Anne Tyler |
| First published | 1982 |
| Type | Novel |
| Best for | readers who enjoy rich, honest family novels |
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is a novel by Anne Tyler, published in 1982. Tyler called it her favorite of her own books. Below you will find a part-by-part summary, five key takeaways, ideas worth remembering and a note on who will enjoy it.
Content note: Includes child abuse, a parent's death and family conflict.
Main Characters
- Pearl Tull: A proud, angry, lonely mother.
- Beck Tull: Pearl's husband, who leaves the family.
- Cody Tull: The eldest son, jealous and bitter.
- Ezra Tull: The gentle middle son, a restaurant owner.
- Jenny Tull: The youngest, a doctor.
What Happens, Part by Part (Contains Spoilers)
Pearl
The novel opens with Pearl, elderly and dying, remembering her life. Her husband Beck, a salesman, left when the children were young, and she told no one. She raised them alone, sometimes lashing out with violence.
Cody
Cody, the oldest, resents Ezra, whom Pearl seems to favor. As an adult, he steals Ezra's fiancée, Ruth, and marries her. Cody is successful but jealous and unhappy.
Jenny
Jenny becomes a pediatrician and marries three times. She struggles with her childhood fears but finds peace with a husband who has many children and a busy, chaotic home.
Ezra
Ezra runs the Homesick Restaurant, where he cooks dishes people miss from home. He keeps trying to have a complete family dinner, but every attempt ends in an argument before dessert.
The final dinner
After Pearl's funeral, Ezra arranges a dinner with the whole family, and Beck returns. The meal again falls apart, but Beck stays for dessert. The family's bonds remain imperfect but real.
5 Key Takeaways
- Childhood shapes adult lives.
- Families are complicated mixtures of love and hurt.
- Some people try endlessly to heal the family.
- Abandonment leaves long-lasting effects.
- Imperfect families can still love each other.
Ideas Worth Remembering
These are paraphrased, not direct quotes:
- Home is something people long for, even when it hurt them.
- Food can bring people together, or at least try to.
- Forgiveness is a lifelong project.
Who Should Read Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant?
Read Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant if you enjoy honest, thoughtful family novels. It suits adults.
About Anne Tyler
Anne Tyler is an American novelist known for her warm, perceptive novels about families in Baltimore. Born in 1941, she has published more than twenty novels and won the Pulitzer Prize for Breathing Lessons. She has said that Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is the novel she is proudest of, and many critics agree it is among her finest work.
Questions to Think About After Reading
These prompts work for solo reading, a book club or a classroom discussion of Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant:
- Why can the family never finish a dinner?
- Is Pearl a bad mother?
- How do the children cope differently?
How to Use This Summary
Use this page as a quick reference before a book club meeting, an exam, or a decision about whether Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is worth your time. The takeaways are written to stand on their own. If a point interests you, go back to the book for the author's full story, characters and style, which no short summary can replace.
A Note on Accuracy and Spoilers
This summary is based on the published text of Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, not on any film, series or stage adaptation, which often change the story. Details are kept at the level of the main events so that nothing is invented. Editions differ slightly in length and wording, so page numbers and small details may vary between copies.
Should You Read the Book?
Yes. It is moving and insightful, and many consider it Tyler's best novel.
Check price of Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant on Amazon
What to Read Next
- Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler: marriage and family
- The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler: grief and recovery
- The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen: a family's long reckoning
Related: Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler: Summary and Key Takeaways · The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant about?
Three siblings carry the scars of their childhood with a difficult mother.
Who wrote it?
Anne Tyler, in 1982.
Who runs the restaurant?
Ezra Tull.
What happens with the family dinners?
They are always interrupted by arguments.
Why did Beck leave?
He left the family, and Pearl kept it secret.
What age is it for?
Adults.
How long is it?
About 300 pages.
Where is it set?
In Baltimore.
Who is Cody?
The eldest son, who resents Ezra.
Was it a Pulitzer finalist?
Yes, in 1983.
Who is Jenny?
The youngest child, who becomes a doctor.
Who is Ruth?
The woman Ezra loves, who marries Cody instead.
Who are the main characters in Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant?
The main characters are Pearl Tull, Beck Tull, Cody Tull, Ezra Tull and Jenny Tull. Pearl Tull: A proud, angry, lonely mother. Beck Tull: Pearl's husband, who leaves the family. Cody Tull: The eldest son, jealous and bitter.
Is Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant worth reading?
It depends on what you want. The book is best for readers who enjoy rich, honest family novels. If that describes you, it is likely a good fit. If not, the titles under What to Read Next may suit you better.