Book Review: "Three Days in June" by Anne Tyler

I will admit that I screamed a little bit when I got the notification from NetGalley that my ARC request for this book was approved. I’ve been reading Anne Tyler’s books for a very long time, and I’m always dazzled by the quiet power of her words. No one can write about irritating or irascible people—and make them endearing—than she can.

Gail’s daughter Debbie is getting married this weekend. But before Gail can get focused on this milestone, she has to contend with some issues at work, with being told she lacks people skills. So she might have quit. Or gotten fired.

Then, Gail’s ex-husband Max arrives, along with a cat that he’s fostering. He was supposed to stay with Debbie, but given that her soon-to-be husband Kenneth is “deathly allergic,” that won’t work. Gail and Max get along fine, so he and the cat stay at her house.

Just before the rehearsal dinner, Debbie confides in her parents a secret about Kenneth. It throws Debbie for a bit of a loop, while at the same time, it causes friction between Gail and Max, stirring up issues long resolved. But they will support their daughter no matter what.

Like many Tyler characters, Gail is easily irked by other people’s foibles. In her case, she feels as if Kenneth’s mother is taking too much of a role in the wedding, her own mother is irritating, and Debbie’s revealing the secret makes her think of things she’d rather not. What does she want from the future? She couldn’t tell you if she tried.

While in general, Tyler’s storytelling is light and unobtrusive, this book packs a bit more of a punch than I expected. I’d love to know what happened to the characters after the book ended.

Thanks so much to Knopf and NetGalley for the advance copy; the book will publish 2/11/2025.