Book to Movie: Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

William Morrow, 2009

Fiction; 244 pgs

Years ago, I read The Usual Rules by Joyce Maynard, which dealt with the 9/11 terror attack.  It was a story about grief and learning to move on, and it was one that touched my heart.  Joyce Maynard is one of those authors I always meant to return to, but never managed to.  Until now. In part, that is due to the recent release of the movie.  I wanted to see the movie, but, like so many others, had this burning desire to read the book first.

Labor Day takes place in Holton Hills, New Hampshire.  For the young narrator and his mother, life is mostly about getting through each day.  Henry is thirteen years old, and in many ways typical.  He has wet dreams and is fascinated by the opposite sex, but is also confused by his feelings and thoughts.  He loves his mother fiercely, however, has spent most of his life trying to make her happy.  She's always so sad and doesn't have much interest in life outside her own house.  She rarely goes out, and does what she can to avoid it as often as possible.  His mother, Adele, hadn't always been depressed.  She once had been a dancer, full of dreams and of life. He loved listening to his mother's stories about her younger days.  Henry has no friends and escapes often in books and television.  His mother and father divorced years before, his father remarrying and starting a new family.  

The weekend before school is to start, Labor Day weekend, on a rare excursion to the store, Henry and his mother are approached by a man looking for a ride, preferably to their house where he can tend to his wounds and clean himself up.  Instinctively trusting the man, they allow him to come home with them.  Frank is a convicted murderer who has just escaped from custody.  He is upfront about who he is and his intentions, promising he means Adele and Henry no harm.

The novel takes place over the course of a week, the week in which Frank is with the family.  Frank reawakens something long lost in both Henry and Adele, and none of their lives will be the same after.

There is nothing rushed about this novel.  At least in terms of the writing or story.  There is great sadness in the novel, and my heart ached for Henry and his mother, Adele.  

Perhaps because of what I do for a living, I was less inclined to buy Frank's story at face value.  I wanted to trust him and like him just as Adele and Henry did, but I was always wary of him.  It is clear that Adele is deeply troubled.  What kind of mother brings a convicted murderer into her home willingly? The way Maynard built her characters and her story, I almost believed it could happen.  But only just almost.

I loved Maynard's writing in The Usual Rules and I love it in Labor Day.  I also liked the care she took in crafting her characters, how real they became as I read the novel, and how much reflection went into their thoughts and actions.  Henry, as the narrator, of course, is at the heart of the novel and he definitely stole mine.  I could feel is uncertainty and frustration throughout the novel, and also his joy at having someone take such an interest in him--and not having to care for his mother for a short while.  What a relief that must have been.

After reading the book, I was excited about seeing the movie.  Kate Winslet was a wonderful choice to play Adele.  She was very believable as a woman suffering from Depression and social anxiety.  I enjoyed the movie for the most part.  The pacing seemed in line with the book.  It isn't a fast paced story, even given the subject matter.  It's less a suspense novel/movie as it is a more character driven one.  That isn't to say there is no suspense, however.  There's always that concern that Frank's hiding place will be discovered.

I liked that the movie built in more a sense of menace at the beginning of the film, making it more believable that Adele and Henry would take someone like Frank home.  There's an implied threat that I did not get from Frank's character in the book.

What I did not like about the movie, however, were the flashback scenes. Frank's story is mostly told in flashbacks, and for some reason, the movie makers decided to break those flashbacks into fragments, not necessarily revealing those fragments in order.  It made it confusing, even to someone who had read the book before hand.  I also felt not enough emphasis was given to Adele's past, the reason she was the way she was.  It's mentioned in the movie, but it seemed more like an after thought.

I am still glad I went to see the film, and even more so that I read the book. 

Rating of Book:  (Good +)

You can learn more about Joyce Maynard and her books on the author's website.

Source: I purchased the e-copy version of this book for my own reading pleasure.  I also purchased my own ticket to see the movie in a local theater.

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