Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

 Gail Baines is negotiating the Three Days in June that involve her daughter Debbie’s wedding in Anne Tyler’s short novel coming out February 11. Who should show up on Gail’s doorstep—with a cat no less—on the day before the nuptials but her ex-husband Max who needs a place to stay.

What an already unsettling Friday this has been for Gail:  at school the retiring headmistress tells Gail that she does not have the people skills to succeed her. Gail responds by walking out of the school, heading home. For Debbie, it was a Day of Beauty provided by her soon to be mother-in-law, an event from which Gail was excluded.

A crisis is afoot as Debbie is rattled by something she learned at the spa about her husband-to-be. She shares this with her parents, leaving them just as anxious as Debbie. The situation throws Gail into a backspin as she recalls the events leading up to the deterioration of her own marriage.

Tyler perfectly captures the tension of the parents and the bride-to-be as they face a rehearsal dinner and a wedding that may or may not come off. On top of everything else, come Monday Gail must figure out how she moves forward in the workforce as she is not ready to retire yet.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Anne Tyler writes books that are witty and engaging. Born in Minneapolis, she grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, graduating from Duke University. She lives in Baltimore, the setting of Three Days in June.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting September 9, 2024.

I would like to thank Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.