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!