Book Review: Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
It’s the day before her daughter’s wedding and things are not going well for Gail Baines. First thing, she loses her job – or quits, depending who you ask. Then her ex-husband Max turns up at her door expecting to stay for the festivities. He doesn’t even have a suit. Instead, he’s brought memories, a shared sense of humour – and a cat looking for a new home.
Just as Gail is wondering what’s next, their daughter Debbie discovers her groom has been keeping a secret…
As the big day dawns, the exes just can’t agree on what’s best for Debbie. Gail is seriously worried, while Max seems more concerned with whether to opt for the salmon or prime rib at the reception, if they make it that far.
The day after the wedding, Gail and Max prepare to go their separate ways again. But all the questions about the future of the happy couple have stirred up the past for Gail. Because ‘happy’ takes many forms, and sometimes the younger generation has much to teach the older about secrets, acceptance and taking the rough with the smooth.
Published by Penguin Books Australia
Released February 2025
My Thoughts:New fiction from Anne Tyler is always a most welcome addition to my reading line up. Three Days in June is a novella, its story told over the three days of a wedding weekend. Gail’s daughter is getting married, and her ex-husband is staying with her for the three days, along with a homeless cat he has brought along with him.
This novella is everything Anne Tyler does best. Warm, funny, light, and then unexpectedly deep. Pure comfort for the soul.
Despite her daughter being an adult and not having lived at home for many years, Gail feels a weight at letting her daughter go, the wedding a final snip at an imagined tether. As she processes this, being in such close quarters with her ex-husband leads her to ruminate on her marriage and subsequent divorce, and the role she played in its demise. An untimely crisis on the employment front leads to further introspection and contemplation. A sort of where to from here. Is one ever too old to start again?
I haven’t met an Anne Tyler yet that I haven’t loved, and this one is no exception. Three Days in June was a really gorgeous novella that was also entertaining to listen to.
