Women's Fiction, 368 pages
Published April 19, 2022 by Berkley Books
Following a long-standing feud and looking to settle the score, a woman decides to dismantle her home—alone and by hand—and move it across a frozen pond during a harsh New England winter in this mesmerizing debut.
Home is certainly not where Del’s heart is. After a local scandal led to her parents’ divorce and the rest of her family turned their backs on her, Del left her small town and cut off contact.
Now, with both of her parents gone, a chance has arrived for Del to retaliate.
Her uncle wants the one thing Del inherited: the family home.
Instead of handing the place over, and with no other resources at her disposal, Del decides she will tear the place apart herself—piece by piece.
But Del will soon discover, the task stirs up more than just old memories as relatives—each in their own state of unraveling—come knocking on her door.
This spare, strange, magical book is a story not only about the powerlessness and hurt that run through a family but also about the moments when brokenness can offer us the rare chance to start again.
My thoughts about Housebreaking ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)
First line—"On an unseasonably warm afternoon in late September, Del did something that she could not explain to herself and would not explain to others."
Del is heartbroken and alone now that both of her parents are gone. As her uncle swoops in to take possession of her home, her strong side surfaces and she is not going to give it up easily. So begins her task of taking her home apart—piece by piece, board by board.
I loved Del's conviction and fortitude. I was there with her the whole time, rooting for her to get the better of her uncle. No one was going to take anything away from her! Her strength of character spoke to a lot of the people around her and I was impressed at the way she just kept going, accomplishing what she set out to do.
Housebreaking was not at all what I expected when I started reading the book but I loved every minute that I was in Del's world. I wasn't able to physically help her break her house apart but she totally had every bit of my support. What an amazing young woman. Loved this story!
I received an ARC of Housebreaking from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
About the author
A native of New England, Colleen Hubbard now lives in the UK with her family. She graduated from the University of East Anglia MA program in creative writing, where she earned the Head of School Prize with a distinction. ~ Goodeads
