Review: Labor Day by Joyce Maynard |

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (August 3, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0061843415
Source: Publisher

Summertime is nearing an end. Thirteen-year-old Henry hasn’t done much but watch television. He lives with his mother Adele who, since the divorce from his father, very rarely wants to leave the house. Her heart has been broken for some time, nearly everything she once lived for is now gone.

They live off of Campbells soup and TV dinners. However, one day they forced to leave the house and trek to the local discount store. Henry is approached by an injured man who asks for help. Henry & Adele’s lives are forever changed. For the next several days, Henry learns things he’d never learned before: how to play catch, how to play baseball, and most importantly, he learns a lesson about love. He also learns that it’s important not to judge someone based on their past, but instead an individual should be judged by who they are now, and what they can provide in the future.

Labor Day is told from the viewpoint of Henry, a young boy on the cusp of young adulthood. He’s still young, a bit naive about girls, and very sensitive emotionally. The six days he spends with this stranger play a key role in his emotional and mental development. It is not until he’s an adult that he really begins to comprehend just how important this weekend was. He gains an insight on life that many don’t discover in an entire lifetime.

Maynard does a stunning job portraying Henry’s character; she’s able to so accurately describe the attitudes and emotions of a teenage boy. One couldn’t help but sympathize with Henry’s character. We were all teens once; we experienced similar “growing pains.”

The secondary characters Adele and Frank are just as aptly detailed. Initially, Adele’s character annoyed the heck out of me. She seemed to have given up on life, completely forgetting that she had a son, a reason to live. It wasn’t until I read a bit more about her that I realized the cause of her pain. Frank is an interesting character. He has a pretty rough history and realistically one should have disdain for a man of his character. But I couldn’t help but love him for what he gave to Adele and Henry.

The relationship this trio shares is initially perplexing, but ultimately rewarding. The storyline is captivating and unpredictable. While reading this book my initial thought was “What!?” but by the end it was replaced with a “Wow!” I was caught off guard by how much I enjoyed this book; I fell in love with this odd little “family” and Maynard’s descriptive, flowing prose. I highly recommend this one; it would make the perfect beach or lazy summer day read.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to participate in this tour. Please be sure to check out the other upcoming stops: