Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler has done it again. Her books can appear to be simple tellings of domestic lives. But don’t you be fooled, Tyler’s characters, particularly her female protagonists, are anything but simple, or shallow. They are often ‘of a certain age’, in this case Gail Baines is sixty-one. She has walked away from her job after being sidelined for a promotion; her daughter is about to get married and her ex-husband unexpectedly arrives on her doorstep, with a foster cat in tow, looking to stay.

What I love about Tyler’s women is that they are a little ‘sharp’, or ‘spiky’. They are strong and have strong opinions. They make mistakes. They look back on their mistakes and own them. They are sometimes judgemental, but they are their own harshest critics. I find them incredibly relatable. The honesty of her characters can hurt. As Gail considers her failed marriage she notes that ‘when the anger fades, the sadness comes right back again the same as ever’.

Tyler doesn’t waste words: this is a novella and the perfect length for her narrative. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Gaby Meares
Murder on a Monday Reading Group