Labor Day (Joyce Maynard)

This is one of those books that makes me glad I'm part of a book club. It isn't one I wouldn't have normally picked up. And it also isn't one I would have finished. However, I'm glad I read it because I think it will make for a good discussion at book club.

The story is about a divorced woman who lives with her 13 year old son. She has agrophobia and so she always sends her son to get groceries or do banking. It is just before Labor Day and they have to go get some things for school, so for the first time in months, she starts up the car and off they go to Wal-Mart. While they're there they meet a man who is bleeding and needs help so they bring him home.

Yup. They bring him home. (What kind of a woman does that??)

As he is staying with them for a few days, they find out he has just escaped prison - which is also pretty dumb because he had almost served his time and is about to get out. After being there 5 days the mother and this man decide to get married.

After 5 days??! Serious?!

Oh, and they plan to run off to Canada.

Only it all gets foiled.

It's crazy story. However, I did feel sympathy for most of the characters (well, except the ex-husband...he seemed like a non-caring bland husband). I'm looking forward to discussing it all with my friends at book club!

One thing I thought was weird was how the author never used quotation marks. Why?? Weird.

Update: I sent an email to the author asking about the quotation mark question. Here is our correspondence:

hello dawn. 
so glad you enjoyed the book.  the quotation mark thing is hard to explain. more intuitive.  I wanted you to feel, reading this book, as if you WERE the boy, and to let the dialogue wash through you. did you ever have a hard time figuring out who was speaking?

On Feb 17, 2014, at 10:27 PM, Dawn wrote:
> I have just read your book, Labor Day. It was a lovely read!> > I found it curious that you did not include quotation marks for any of the dialogue and just wondered why.> > Dawn Ackroyd> Calgary, AB> 

Hmmm....apparently she also doesn't include capitals and standard punctuation in her correspondance.

The mystery continues.