Labor Day: a brief review

taken from Goodreads.com

I finished the last book I read, Someone Like You, in the middle of the night, and clearly needed to decide right that second what book I would read next. Since I'd already bought Labor Day a little while ago and it was just sitting waiting for me on my Kindle, it seemed like a logical choice. And here we are.

Joyce Maynard's Labor Day was written in 2009 but really made a splash this past spring and summer when it became a movie starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. (I only first heard of this book, actually, when it showed up on a Books Turning to Movies list back at the beginning of the year and thought the plot looked good; I made my own little list of books I want to read before I see the movies and this one made the cut.) Young teenage Henry lives with his reclusive mother after his father left them for a new family that lives across town. Henry's mother has been beaten down by the experiences in her life and has developed a fear of everything outside of their home. They make trips to town every couple of months to stock up on frozen and nonperishable foods, and it's during one of those trips that they cross paths with Frank. Recently escaped from prison and in need of medical attention, Frank asks for a ride home and soon finds himself the house guest of Henry and his mother for the entire Labor Day weekend. Henry has a front row seat to the transformations in his mother as she opens up and softens in the presence of Frank, their instant romance defying typical reasoning. The longer Frank stays in their home, the more complicated Henry's feelings towards him become as he sees the danger in letting him stay as well as the incredible impact he has made in the lives of both Henry and his mother.

I've been excited to read this one for a long time, but it just kept getting pushed farther down the road. I tried to put it on hold from the library a couple of times but was never able to get it read when it would actually appear on my Kindle so it kept disappearing. I finally just broke down and bought it (I think it was like $4) and it sat waiting for me. Along the way I heard many positive reviews from friends who had read it, and my excitement for the day I would finally read it kept building. All of that being said: here are my thoughts. It's honestly a little bit off-putting, the way Frank and Adele instantly fall in love. I'm not someone who can really point too many fingers (married within seven months of meeting each other? Yeah, that's us) but with these guys it's from the very first scene in the department store. Once you get past that small detail, though, I have to say that this book is wonderful. Beautifully written, Maynard weaves the reader through so many character elements in a mere 250 pages it's almost hard to emotionally digest it all. Such simple characters upon first impression, all three provide so many opportunities for social commentary and discussion. Henry's struggles with identity as a high school boy without much of a relationship with his father is my favorite; it's heartbreaking to read his deeply honest thoughts and confessions about everything he is missing out on by not having that male role in his life to talk through his tumultuous time of life. As a small disclaimer I must say that there is a shocking amount of sex in this book (shocking because I wasn't really expecting any at all for whatever reason), but it doesn't actually go into graphic details. Just comments on the fact that it's happening. I would definitely recommend this book, though, and can't wait to see the movie at some point.