Labor Day is the latest book from Joyce Maynard, a writer whose work I always look forward to. She has a unique way of looking at the world. While the premise of this book seems unbelievable, she makes it seem as if this scenario could actually happen.

This novel tells the story of a single mother and her thirteen year old son, living an isolated existence in a small New Hampshire town in the 1980’s. At the start of the Labor Day weekend, Henry and Adele embark on a rare outing to Pricemark to purchase pants for Henry for the upcoming school year. While at the store, Henry is approached by a man in a Pricemark shirt who asks for his help.

Adele and Henry give Frank a ride to their home, located at the end of a dead end street. Frank, it turns out, is an escaped convict. (Henry also has a pet hamster at home who is kept in a cage. This book is loaded with metaphor!) There are roadblocks on the highways leading out of town, and Frank is sure he just needs to lay low for a few days before making his escape.

Frank has chosen wisely. Henry and Adele have few visitors, and little contact with the world. They also could use Frank’s help around the house: fixing leaks, changing light bulbs, even baking pies. As the scorching Labor Day weekend unfolds, the relationship between Frank and Adele deepens, with Henry feeling more alienated.

Labor Day is told from the perspective of a grown-up Henry. He is able to see his mother and his younger self objectively, and compassionately. So fortunately we are spared hysterics and histrionics. Maynard allows the reader to understand the story and the characters, and to gradually develop feelings towards them.

Labor Day was a quick read, and I would definitely recommend it. ( )

Henry and his mother Adele were a family of two after the divorce. They kept to themselves until one hot Labor Day week end when their lives changed forever. Henry was only 13 at the time, but he did a lot of growing up in that short time.

This is one of those books that you can breeze through in a few short hours. But just as a 3-day week end can be rejuvenating, so can spending time with Henry, Adele, and their new friend. ( )

After his parents get divorced, Henry lives with his mother, Adele. Adele has become a little odd and rarely leaves the house. It’s Labor Day weekend, though, and thirteen year old Henry needs some things for school, so he and his mother head out to the local Pricemart. While they’re there, an injured man in a Pricemart shirt approaches Henry, needing some help. Adele and Henry end up taking Frank, the injured man, home with them. It turns out that Frank’s an escaped convict, who was serving time for murdering his wife and child.

Things aren’t always what they seem, though, and the three of them end up spending a wonderful Labor Day weekend together. One quote from Henry really struck me:

"And the thought occurs to me that here is one of the best parts about his showing up. I am not responsible for making her happy anymore. That job can be his now. This leaves me free for other things. My own life, for instance."

I loved LABOR DAY by Joyce Maynard! The story is told from Henry’s point of view and I thought both he and Frank were fantastic characters. Adele’s a great character too - my heart just broke for her when I discovered why she’s become so withdrawn. This book doesn’t just have great character development, though – the storyline kept me absorbed from the very start. I was totally engrossed in the book because I needed to know what was going to happen next. LABOR DAY also gave me a lot to think about – I wondered how many children suffer because they feel responsible for their parents’ happiness. This book is about the power of love and family. Most of the action take places over the holiday weekend, but there is an epilogue of sorts that lets the reader know how the lives of the characters turn out. This is a book you don’t want to miss. ( )

I enjoyed this book, as it is a good story and a little different. A thirteen-year-old boy tells about his Labor Day weekend with his mother and a fugitive. I felt the author developed the characters and, though seeming strange at first, you could understand how the mother could so quickly fall in love with the stranger. The feelings of the boy are very real and you can feel his angst. This was a worthwhile read!

Over a long, Labor Day weekend, Henry and his mother, Adele, unecpectedly harbor a fugitive. Henry's mother has basically shut herself off from the world, leaving Henry to help his mother stock-pile food and generally help take care of household responsibilities and his mother. When the escaped convict comes into the home, Adele and Frank quickly develop romantic feelings towards each other. The weekend progresses with Henry struggling with his feelings of jealousy and resentment towards Frank and feelings of gratitude for bringing his mother back into the "real world". Will the police find Frank? Will they run off together and be a real family? Or will Henry turn Frank in thinking that they're going to leave him behind. This book kept my interest but I found it very unbelievable how quickly Frank and Adele fell in love. ( )