Geneva
Novak is a successful veterinarian living in San Francisco with her husband and
two rebellious teenagers. When she receives a phone call from her brother in
Los Angeles notifying her that their mother, Helen, has been in a serious car
accident, Geneva's world is upended. The urging of her always-optimistic
husband--who comes from a loving yet often overbearing family very different
from her own--convinces Geneva that taking in the convalescing Helen might help
repair their broken and contentious mother-daughter relationship. Grudgingly,
Geneva invites a reluctant Helen into their home in the hope that Helen might
finally address questions that have remained unanswered for decades--questions
about Geneva's long-deceased father, Geneva's sister who has exiled herself to
Africa and Helen's chronic alcoholism. Unfortunately, Helen's arrival only
heralds new, unexpected problems, and it seems that things might get worse
before they get better.
House Broken, Sonja Yoerg's complex, sensitively crafted debut novel, emerges as a multigenerational saga largely narrated by Geneva, who often seems more capable of caring for--and more empathic toward--the animals in her life than people. The viewpoints of Helen and Ella, Geneva's 16-year-old daughter, help flesh out the story. The distinct, authentic voices of these women from three generations probe beneath the surface of their own personal realities, while also shining a light onto dark secrets--past and present--that reveal the flaws and often-irreconcilable differences within family life.
House Broken, Sonja Yoerg's complex, sensitively crafted debut novel, emerges as a multigenerational saga largely narrated by Geneva, who often seems more capable of caring for--and more empathic toward--the animals in her life than people. The viewpoints of Helen and Ella, Geneva's 16-year-old daughter, help flesh out the story. The distinct, authentic voices of these women from three generations probe beneath the surface of their own personal realities, while also shining a light onto dark secrets--past and present--that reveal the flaws and often-irreconcilable differences within family life.
Publication Date: January
6, 2015
Note: This review is a
reprint and is being posted (in a slightly different form) with the permission
of Shelf
Awareness. To read this review on Shelf
Awareness: Reader's Edition (1/9/15), click HERE