The concerns in Updike's writing do not make front-page news, but they do matter because Updike knows that "something fierce goes on in homes." He may not write about murder and mayhem and madness, but, in an exquisitely lyrical style that even his detractors admire, he probes the crises that sear the human spirit: how does a man cling to a mistress when he fears leaving his wife; how does he explain his guilt to his children when he knows that love is all that matters; how does he get his life going again when the applause heaped on him in high school has shattered into silence; how does he fill the void when religious faith seems faltering and false; and how does he grow along with his children who, overnight, seem to know more but care less"
Moralist, stylist, chronicler of the American middle class, Updike investigates the inner lives of families and the common details that define them. He knows that the insignificant particulars of a life are both signs of God's handiwork and hints of humanity's needs: finely crafted furniture, a carefully mown field, a perfect tee shot, a groping prayer, and, unfortunately, the halting march toward death.
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