Review: Three Days in June (by Anne Tyler)

My Rating: 4 stars

Anne Tyler’s latest novel may be a short, quick read, but it contains the same low-key yet poignant exploration of human nature that is a common feature of nearly all her books. Tyler is a master at taking mundane, everyday events and turning them into a meaningful story – one with substance and heart and subtle humor.  Her characters are always so relatable, probably because they are ordinary people going through ordinary life events, with emotions that always feel so real. 

This time around, the main character is Gail Baines, a 61-year-old who loses her long-time job as assistant headmistress at her town’s school over a lack of “people skills.” As if that weren’t bad enough, her only daughter Debbie is getting married the next day, yet as mother of the bride, Gail feels like an interloper – not only is she barely involved in any of the wedding planning (the mother of the groom has pretty much taken care of everything), it also looks like no one bothered to tell her about the special pre-wedding spa day that the mother of the groom organized for all the women in the wedding party.  But the worst is when Gail’s ex-husband Max (from whom she has been divorced for over 20 years) shows up unannounced on her doorstep with a stray cat in tow.  True to its title, the story unfolds over the course of these 3 particular days in June – the day before Debbie’s wedding, the day of the wedding (or “D-Day” as it is referred to in the chapter heading), and the day after – though there are also snippets interspersed throughout that provide some insight into Gail and Max’s past as well as how their marriage ended up falling apart.  The story is narrated entirely from Gail’s first-person perspective, which has the effect of giving us a front-row seat to Gail’s thoughts and feelings as she reflects on everything going on around her.

While I did find Gail to be frustrating at times with her stubborn adherence to certain perfectionistic tendencies that made some things in her life harder than they needed to be, at the same time, I also connected with her introverted, socially awkward nature.  There were moments that resonated quite deeply, where I found myself nodding my head and thinking, “yes, I know that feeling exactly!” – though of course, there were also moments that made me wonder what in the world Gail was thinking. 

With Three Days in June, Tyler once again provides us with a nuanced portrayal of human relationships rendered in her signature style.  While this was certainly not the most engaging of Tyler’s novels that I’ve read, it was enjoyable nevertheless.  Definitely recommended!

 

Review: Redhead by the Side of the Road (by Anne Tyler)

My Rating:  4 stars

Anne Tyler has the unique ability to take the most mundane, ordinary of events and combine them with well-developed, relatable characters to create wonderfully nuanced stories that are both heartfelt and earnest.  I love Tyler’s low-key style and the way she presents her characters always as they are — no fan fare, no big attention-grabbing event, no major earth-shattering revelation — just an ordinary character going about their every day tasks. 

This time around, our protagonist is Micah Mortimer, a 44-year-old self-employed tech expert who lives a life of carefully planned routine — from his morning runs that start and end at the same designated times and follow the same exact path each day to the household chores that are meticulously scheduled and performed:  floor-mopping on Mondays, kitchen-cleaning on Thursdays, vacuuming on Fridays, etc.  To say that Micah is a creature of habit is an understatement — run, shower, breakfast, tidy-up, then get ready to start his first call of the day, his mornings consisted of a system rarely deviated from and fastidious to a fault.  But then one day, two things happen that threaten to shatter Micah’s carefully guarded routine:  his “woman friend” Cass tells him that she is on the verge of losing her apartment, and later, the teenage son of an ex-lover shows up at his door claiming to be his son.  How will Micah handle these unexpected disruptions and the aftermath that results? 

I read this book in one sitting this past Sunday morning and let me tell you, it definitely made my day!  I enjoy stories that are witty yet poignant, where the humor is subtle and occurs so naturally that you find yourself chuckling without realizing it (that was me during the “Traffic God” moments).  This was a simple story, but one that had substance and also a lot of heart — a perfect choice during this challenging time.  Every time I pick up one of Tyler’s newest novels to read, I remind myself that I have yet to work my way through her prolific backlist, which I intend to do at one point or another — while still anticipating her next book of course!

Review: Clock Dance (by Anne Tyler)

 My Rating:  4 stars

This is my first time reading Anne Tyler and it certainly won’t be my last!  I like this author’s style – the way she is able to take everyday, mundane events and turn them into an interesting story, yet still keep the overall tone low-key, subtle, and rooted in reality.    The story is divided into 4 major segments that highlight 4 particular “defining moments” in the life of the main character Willa Drake -- starting in 1967 when she is 11 years old, we get a glimpse of what her childhood was like and how her family environment helped shape the kind of person she would become; then the story jumps to 1977, when Willa is in college and faces a major life decision in the form of a marriage proposal; then it jumps to 20 years later, in 1997, when Willa is faced with yet another life-changing event, widowhood at the young age of 41 and having to figure out how to move forward with her 2 teenage sons; and finally, 2017 when Willa is 61 years old, remarried (to a man whose personality is similar to her first husband in so many ways), retired and contemplating her lot in life when she gets a phone call about her son’s ex-girlfriend and impulsively flies to Baltimore.  Through these vignette-like “observations” into her life at various stages, we get to know Willa on a deeper level and by the end of the book, she has become like a dear friend whom we just finished spending quality time with.  Granted, I didn’t always agree with Willa’s decisions and honestly, at times her passiveness and tolerance for things she shouldn’t have tolerated really frustrated me, but I still liked her as a character and enjoyed being in her company, even if only for a short few days (the amount of time it took me to read the book).  The character development is definitely well-done in here, and not just with Willa but also with the other characters, even some of the ones who only make a brief appearance.  I enjoy reading about characters that are relatable, which many times means that they also have to be realistic and yes, sometimes even “ordinary,” – a character that may not necessarily have much excitement going on in their lives, but yet encounter interesting enough moments where a story like this never once comes across as boring. 

As other reviewers have said, the story here is simple as well as subtle and not much goes on outside of normal, everyday stuff, yet at no point did I feel the story drag.  In the beginning, when I found out this would be a “slice of life” type of story, I was a little worried, as I usually don’t take to these types of stories too well – I prefer a continuous story where I am able to see the main character’s growth and gradual development.  This book was very different from other “slice of life” books I’ve read in that this one went deeper in terms of characterization as well as emotional depth and to me at least, the transitions from one time period to another were seamless.  I’ve heard that Anne Tyler is a masterful writer and I can definitely see why.  I’m sure that the next time I am in the mood for a quiet, yet meaningful read with characters that are relatable and easy to connect with, I will be picking up one of Tyler’s other novels to enjoy!

Received ARC from Knopf Publishing via Penguin First to Read program.