Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler (Vintage, £5.99) is the story of a day in the life of Maggie Moran. With her husband, Ira, she drives to the funeral of her friend's husband. The day becomes a miniature of their marriage with wrong turns, small disappointments and unexpected kindnesses. At the core is the realisation that in spite of the everyday unexpected, life goes on changing and staying the same. Anne Tyler elevates the ordinary and celebrates the secret hearts of the harried.