Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

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Title: Labor Day

Author: Joyce Maynard

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Length: 244 pages

Published: 2009

Publisher: William Morrow

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry—lonely, friendless, not too good at sports—spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adele—a onetime dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly's with his estranged father and new stepfamily. As much as he tries, Henry knows that even with his jokes and his "Husband for a Day" coupon, he still can't make his emotionally fragile mother happy. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart. 

But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others—especially those we love—above ourselves. And the knowledge that real love is worth waiting for. 

In a manner evoking Ian McEwan's Atonement and Nick Hornby's About a Boy, acclaimed author Joyce Maynard weaves a beautiful, poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence, and devastating treachery as seen through the eyes of a young teenage boy—and the man he later becomes—looking back at an unexpected encounter that begins one single long, hot, life-altering weekend.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I first heard about this book after seeing a preview for the movie. I am eager to watch the movie now (and was when I saw the preview for it), but I am very glad that I read the book first. Told in the point of view of thirteen year old Henry, this is an amazing love story. I could not put it down. I just wanted to keep reading about Henry, his horribly depressed recluse of a mother, and the escaped convict they let into their lives. 

There were a few heartbreaking moments that made me stop for a minute and set the book down so I could collect myself, but those moments explained so much about Adele and why she has become such a recluse. The author did an incredible job using the voice of a thirteen year old boy to tell this story. She established early that Adele talked to her son like he was just another person - and about things most mothers wouldn't talk to their sons about. But you could still see his naivety and that he just didn't understand everything she talked about. 

I definitely recommend picking this up before watching the film adaptation of it. It's a super fast read that you will not want to put down!

You can purchase Labor Day through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Labor Day? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.