The Good House - Ann Leary

Hildy Good is hiding a secret from her town, her family - and even herself. 

Hildy Good has reached that dangerous time in a woman's life - middle-aged and divorced, she is an oddity in her small but privileged town. But Hildy isn't one for self-pity and instead meets the world with a wry smile, a dark wit and a glass or two of Pinot Noir. When her two earnest grown-up children stage an 'intervention' and pack Hildy off to an addiction centre, she thinks all this fuss is ridiculous. After all, why shouldn't she enjoy a drink now and then?

But we start to see another side to Hildy Good, and to her life's greatest passion. Soon, a cluster of secrets become dangerously entwined, with devastating consequences...

My thoughts:

I had no idea if Hildy was an alcoholic or not. She was so much in denial and kept saying it was nothing. And that is the thing, I the reader know nothing, but little by little we learn more about Hildy. So is she an alcoholic? You will find out.

The book was not just told about her day after day life. There were lots of little episodes where she told about houses she had sold. But it all came together as you later will see. And that was her life, selling houses, and being a bit lonely. Her husband has left, her children live elsewhere and Hildy, ah yes Hildy. I liked her, but the more I got to know her, less I wanted to like her.

There is also a bit of drama later in the book, I am not going into details. But something happens as she is trying to go on with life.

It was well done, I really was in her head, believing what she believed and it also made me realise how alcohol can be different to everyone. Every alcoholic is not the same.

Conclusion.

A good, and quiet book in a way.

Cover

Simple, it works

Paperback, 304 pages
Published July 3rd 2014 by Corvus (first published January 15th 2013)
Fiction
For review