Anne Tyler is a great writer, no doubt. Her book, A Patchwork Planet is a great read but I found the ending somewhat unsatisfactory. At the beginning he admired Sophia's "definiteness" and routines and were an influence on his own journey. I got a sense that he used her. And, I cannot see anyone who claims he is honest and trusting, going into someone's house and taking what is not his, for any reason. He was definitely taking a chance by breaking the law (again). A little bit of conflict there. As much as we want to trust our partners one has to admit that Barnaby did get into a lot of trouble and even at the beginning of the book was somewhat of a rogue and unreliable. My sympathy goes to Sophia. We are all responsible for the choices we make as adults.