top of page
Writer's pictureSarah Williamson

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

"You look disappointed," Maeve said. "Do I?" I leaned back in the booth. "This isn't disappointment." We had made a fetish out of our misfortune, fallen in love with it. I was sickened to realize we'd kept it going for so long, not that we had decided to stop."


First book of the year and likely last book I'll finish before the baby comes. This book was so popular last year. Everyone read it and no one had anything negative to say, and I am just going to add to the rave reviews! It's so hard for me to articulate book love when it happens because I am usually freaking out about how much I loved it and nothing comes out as exciting and lovely as I feel on the inside after finishing a "book love" book. This book follows a brother and sister over the course of almost 50 years. The Dutch House is an odd unique house they grew up in and it plays so much of a role in their life and relationship that I almost came to think of the house as a supporting character in the story. This book had sentences that blew my mind. I love books that explore the depth and emotion of the human existence and I love recognizing my own emotional experience in relationship to the characters in their story. The Dutch house did this so well. I related so much to the male character's fixation on the past and inability to think of the future or remain in the present. I hesitate to compare this book to anything because it was really a unique read, but the message and a lot of the characterization reminded me of Catcher in the Rye (if you hated that book like a lot of people did, don't write The Dutch House off. The characters here are a lot more likable than Holden Caufield) I read this on hard copy, but I have it on good authority that Tom Hanks narrates the pants off this story in the most magical way! I might just get on the holds list to listen to it.



5/5 Stars


12 views0 comments

Σχόλια


bottom of page