"Three Days in June," by Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler's novels always feel like old friends. I have been reading her work since the 1970s, and I don't remember ever not loving her work. It is so wise, so humane, so down-to-earth, and also so reliably beautifully written and entertaining. She is on the short list of writers who, the minute I hear that they have a new novel out, I put it on my to-read list and find it as soon as possible. Tyler is now 81 years old, and still writing wonderful novels, including her most recent: "Three Days in June" (Knopf, 2025). This novel is shorter than most of Tyler's. I mention this partly because I have been noticing that some older writers do write shorter novels; see, for example, Anita Desai's recent novels, which I wrote about on my 3/12/25 post. But, as always, as soon as I started reading this novel, I was drawn in, and struck once again by Tyler's knowledge of human nature, as well as by the unassuming, almost conversational tone of her writing. "Three Days in June" is about a family during the days surrounding a family wedding. The family members, like so many, are loving but also have some issues with each other. We recognize both the love and the tension that can and does arise among family members. There are secrets that emerge, misunderstandings, and decisions to be made. Although I am not sure that I was as totally caught up in this novel as I have been with some of Tyler's prior works, this is a high bar; I still loved it, and would not have missed reading it for anything. Tyler's novels are so realistic, so authentic, and they always make me feel that I know a little more about human nature than I did before I read them. And, to be clear, they are enjoyable to read. I would even call them page-turners if that label did not have the negative connotations, the implied lack of seriousness, that it does. What I mean is that once I start reading her work, I cannot stop, because it is wonderful. (Can you tell that I am a BIG fan?)