Our House

I really liked this book until the last three sentences.  Then I said, "OH MY WORD!! WHAT?!!?" and I loooved it.
It isn't really a traditional "mystery" or "thriller," but I'm going to characterize it as such.  A crime was committed, it must be solved, and people are in danger.  So there you go.

Our House by Louise Candlish


Going into this book I was expecting more of a suspensful thriller. But the reader knows from the beginning what crime has been committed: Fiona's dream house has been sold out from under her and her family, and she has no idea what it going on. The main action occurs over the course of the day that Fiona returns to her home after a trip to find strangers moving in. A great deal of the "backstory" is told through clever methods like Bram (Fiona's husband) writing a world document and Fiona telling her account of events in a podcast, complete with online readers and their comments. What makes this an interesting and compelling tale is finding out the why, who, and how of the events. Why was the Lawson home sold? Who is ultimately responsible? And how did those people make it happen? And in the final chapters, even when the reader thinks the mystery has been resolved, the author manages to throw in some surprises.
When Fiona Lawson comes home on a Friday afternoon she sees strangers moving their furniture into her home. She cannot believe what she is seeing as she looks at her dream home, the center of her universe, devoid of all her possessions and trappings of her family's life there. Where is her husband? Where are her things? Are her children safe? Who does the house actually belong to?
As Fiona attempts to find answers to these questions throughout the rest of the day and evening, the past is revealed through what appears to be a confession written by Fiona's husband Bram, as well as
Fiona's appearance on a podcast for victims of crimes. We discover that the Lawsons were living with a "Bird's Nest" arrangement, in which the separated couple shared custody of their children by taking turns living in the family's house. We learn the circumstances that led to the couple's split and the events that caused the fraudulent "selling" of Fiona's beloved Trinity Avenue home.
The author creates an engrossing tale of a family cracking at the seems; the wife who devotes herself to taking part in the community of their posh neighborhood while the husband chafes under the expectations of that life. One definitely feels for Fiona as she almost loses herself in her role of mother and wife while still working and participating in her sons' school and sports activities and keeping up with her neighbors. Bram struggles to find fulfillment with his job and home life while his wife seems completely occupied with her own life.
There are plenty of twists and turns, but as I was reading I kept thinking, "Is there something else?" I just felt like another big shoe was supposed to drop, but it never came. Even as I got to the end of the book and things built to a climax I still felt as though something was missing. As I came to the final chapter I was thinking, "This was a good book. I enjoyed it. Yeah, it was nice." And then I read the last three sentences. Then I said, "He did what?!!" That was a great twist.
So I would definitely recommend this book. It's a compelling story that builds to a great twist without relying on too much suspense. I loved it.


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