This Week's Reflection

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Gail, one of the main characters in this novel, is not a bad person! She is just complicated—and not even complicated in a bad way!

First, I have to say this novel was AMAZING! I was hooked in the first chapter; dare I say, the first couple of pages.

Yep! I dare say it… I WAS HOOKED IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF PAGES!

Now that I have that out of my system…

This was the first novel I’ve read by this author! (I am stretching myself and going outside of my usual genres of Christian fiction, mystery, thrillers, documentaries, and memoirs.)

Gail Baines is having a bad day. As the book description says, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask! This is what made me fall in love with her.

I think I am at the stage in my life where you just get tired of being walked on by other people, and I could relate to Gail in some ways.

She was overlooked for a promotion due to her “not being a people person.” (Okay, you all know I do not like giving spoilers, but this is essential to what I have to say next.) That rattled her because she had never been told she wasn’t a people person.

Guess what Gail did?

She did not say, “Okay, well I will train them,” or “Okay, I will work with them,” or what every supervisor wants to hear: “Okay, I understand.”

Gail did not understand. She said, “Well, I hope the two of them do well,” and left.

Gail left the building—along with Elvis!

She was not invited to her daughter’s bridal shower spa day. Her ex-husband shows up at her house with a cat. It’s just a whole lot in such a short span of time—but it’s also a lot of growth.

Gail and her ex-husband are there for their daughter when she has a before-the-wedding crisis—a real one, not a “my fingernail polish chipped” type.

Gail reveals truths to their daughter that crack the image she has of them, but may also help her understand them better.

While the book describes Max as a “boy who never grew up” (my interpretation), Max has a lot of wisdom and a profound sense of humor.

One of the moments that perfectly captures the humor in this story is this exchange between Gail and Max:

Max: Gail, you worry too much. What you need is a thunder jacket.

Gail: A what?

Max: One of those really snug jackets that you put on dogs who are scared of thunder. I mean, good grief! Do you keep an itemized list of things to worry about? How do you remember them all?

Gail: But wouldn’t this jacket have four sleeves? What do you do with the other two?

Max: Add them to your worry list!

Hahaha! I literally laughed out loud!

Now that should make you laugh and find this book immediately to read.

Have you ever read a character who made you laugh and stop and think about your own life a little?

The next time you’re at your local library—or browsing on Audible, Hoopla, Libby, Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play Books, YouTube audiobooks, or even your favorite bookstore—go check it out! I’d love to hear what you think!