Labor Day: A Coming-of-Age Story of Love, Betrayal, and Redemption (P.S.)

In a manner evoking Ian McEwan's Atonement and Nick Hornby's About a Boy, Joyce Maynard weaves a tale of love, sex, adolescence, and betrayal as seen through the eyes of a young teenage boy and the man he later becomes, looking back at an unexpected encounter during one transformative Labor Day weekend. Thirteen-year-old Henry is lonely and friendless in Holton Mills, New Hampshire, spending most of his time watching television and daydreaming. He lives with his long-divorced mother, Adele, a former dancer, and his hamster. Despite his efforts to cheer her, Henry cannot make his emotionally fragile mother happy, as she harbors a secret that keeps her housebound. On the Thursday before Labor Day, a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry asking for help. Over the next five days, Henry learns valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others above himself. He also comes to understand that real love is worth waiting for.