Three Days in June

Anne Tyler is a best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning American author. Three Days in June is her 25th novel, and it displays her interest in fraught family dynamics, in-depth characterization, detailed realism, and the passage of time that characterizes much of Tyler’s work. Her novels have been praised by readers and critics alike, and she has been both a nominee for and a recipient of numerous awards. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (1982), The Accidental Tourist (1985), and Breathing Lessons (1988) were all finalists for the Pulitzer Prize, and Breathing Lessons won the prize in 1989. The Accidental Tourist also won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 1985, and Ladder of Years (1995) and Digging to America (2006) were both finalists for the Orange Prize. A Spool of Blue Thread (2015) was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, and Redhead by the Side of the Road (2020) was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

Tyler was born into a Quaker family that moved around the Midwest and the South throughout her childhood. She spent a portion of her youth living with her family in a Quaker community in North Carolina, where she participated in the commune’s agricultural work and was homeschooled in art and vocational subjects. Tyler dates her interest in storytelling to this time in her life and wrote her first book, an illustrated story about girls in covered wagons, at age seven. Although she lacked a traditional, formal education as a young person, she was a gifted and hardworking student when she made the transition to public school, and she recalls reading voraciously once she had access to a library. After high school, she obtained a degree in Russian literature from Duke University and went on to pursue a Master of Arts in Slavic studies at Columbia University in New York. She did not finish this degree, however, and returned to Duke to work in its library. She then married, had a child, and began to write seriously. Although her career began in fits and starts, she ultimately found a dedicated and loyal readership and became one of the 20th century’s most prominent and prolific female writers.

Tyler’s novels are noted for their in-depth characterization. She crafts characters who are complex, multi-faceted, and often messy. She is just as interested in personal tragedies as she is in triumphs, and her characters navigate tricky situations and complicated relationships. Gail is typical of Tyler’s characters: The novel begins with the accusation that Gail lacks tact, and although she bristles at this characterization, she reveals herself to be critical, judgmental, and sparing in her praise of the people around her. Yet she also refrains from saying out loud much of what she is thinking. She is, arguably, tactful, in practice if not in spirit. Tyler is also known for approaching complex characters with humor. Gail, Joyce, and Max are all, at times, funny and use humor to inject levity into otherwise difficult situations.

Tyler is also known for novels that explore fraught relationships and complex marriages. Many of her novels, including French Braid (2022) and The Amateur Marriage (2004), feature troubled marriages. Women and men who do not get along and appear ill-suited to each other loom large in Tyler’s work, and Gail and Max’s relationship speaks to her interest in interrogating the complexities of long-term partnership. The gulf that exists between reality and expectations in relationships is a key feature of Tyler’s writing, and she is interested in the way that marriages break down over time. Both Max and Gail became disillusioned with their marriage and with each other at various points in their relationship, though the love between them never fully disappeared, and the novel implies that they may get back together. Parent-child bonds are also a key focal point for Tyler, and characters like Gail, who must navigate fraught marriages and the relationships they have with their children, are common in her writing.

Critics have also praised Tyler’s keen eye for detail and the large role that seemingly small elements play in her narratives. The short moments of reflection that Gail has about watches, although brief, help Tyler explore the difficulty of aging: As Gail and then Max ruminate on time and timepieces, it becomes evident that they are preoccupied with a transition to old age for which they both feel singularly unprepared. Gail’s trip to the beauty salon, as it contrasts with Debbie’s day of beauty, is another example of a small but telling detail: Gail’s discomfort in her stylist’s chair speaks to both her introversion and her insecurity about the way that aging has altered her appearance. Again, a brief moment in the narrative has widespread implications and is intricately woven into the novel’s broader thematic structure.

The passage of time also looms large in Tyler’s writing and becomes part of her exploration of both character and relationships. She is interested in the way that individuals, families, and the bonds that they share change as time passes and various people move from one stage of life to the next. Gail must adjust to her life transitions and also those of her mother and daughter: As her mother becomes older and frailer, Gail steps into the role of caretaker. As Debbie’s twenties turn into her thirties and she gets married, Gail must take an emotional step back and allow Debbie to make her own choices. This kind of re-calibration is evident in much of Tyler’s work, as her exploration of such relationships is a key part of her success as an author.