Question #4-House as Character

[[deleted user]]

The Lake House is the English translation of Loeanneth, the house's Cornish name. Have you read other novels in which a house features within the text as vital and alive, almost as if it is another character in its own right?

[Shirley]

I recently read 2 books that featured a house as a character: "Bliss House" by Laura Benedict and "Murder House" by James Patterson. I love the Gothic feel to Loeanneth and the eerie setting of a house swallowed up by the forest surrounding it. I picture the house in "Psycho" and how it evokes a scared and creepy emotion just by looking at it. Treating the House as a character in a story adds to the suspense as you know something is going to happen and the only explanation might just be that the house holds mysteries yet to be revealed.

[Jennifer]

I too have read Murder house and loved it. I love books that have inanimate objects as characters, it adds depth to the plot.

[Shirley]

I have always loved the concept of a "Haunted House" even as a kid. It gives you that sense that the air surrounding and within the house some how has eyes watching you and you never know what will jump out at you next.

[Susan]

OPL's in-person book clubs will be reading A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler in April and May. All reviews of the book say that the Whitshank family home in Baltimore is a character in the book. It has been lived in by two generations and built by one of them. The house has a big front porch with a swing and wicker chairs, pocket doors, built-ins, and high ceilings. I could move right in! Members of the family value handiness and all feel obligated to look after the house and never hire help.

The other book this question brings to my mind is not a novel, but Plum Johnson's They Left Us Everything: A Memoir. Oakville Reads members discussed this wonderful book, and the house called Point O'View, last July.

In both of these books, a special house brings family members together and plays a central role in their lives. The details of the houses are so clearly and lovingly described that I felt I could walk right into them.

I don't think Kate Morton described the Lake House in as much detail as the two authors I cite here, so the house didn't come as alive for me, but I still enjoyed trying to imagine its layout with hidden tunnels and all.

[Dana]

Shirley wrote: "I recently read 2 books that featured a house as a character: "Bliss House" by Laura Benedict and "Murder House" by James Patterson. I love the Gothic feel to Loeanneth and the eerie setting of a h..."

The first thing I thought of was Psycho too! I have never actually read the book, but I am a big fan of Bates Motel and the house/motel play such a big role. I think it would be so cool to visit that house (as long as Norman isn't there).

[Allison]

Susan, I had not thought of Point 'o View here in Oakville. Even though it seems so obvious now that you mention it.

Instead, my first thought was of Sarah Waters' tremendous book, The Little Stranger -- a post-war story that sees a stately country manor falling into a state of deterioration, together with the whole family, with lots of bizarre and inexplicable occurrences happening therein.

Anyone looking for a great book club pick, let me highly recommend this one! It's 5 stars as far as I am concerned, and here's a tip: it is coming soon to OPL as a book club kit. :)

[Rocio]

Susan wrote: "OPL's in-person book clubs will be reading A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler in April and May. All reviews of the book say that the Whitshank family home in Baltimore is a charac..."

As Susan, I immediately thought about "A Spool of Blue Thread" because we just finished reading it at the OPL book club. The whole story develops around the house and the importance of this house for the different generations of a family. It also brought to my mind "The House of Spirits" by Isabel Allende. In this book also the author narrates the life of different generations all around the house that they all came back to. And I thought about a play/book that I saw many years ago in Colombia, where I am from. The name was "The Strategy of the Snail" and it describes diferent social conflicts and the lives of different people who rent rooms in this big old house. The owner is on his way to evict them because he wants to knock the house down to build condos. All the tenants get together and move the insides of the house and buy time telling the owner that they are going to return the house "painted". At the end when the owner finally enters the house he finds an empty space with a house "painted" on the wall :). The question brought back this memory which is probably from 25 years ago.

[Allison]

Rocio wrote: "Susan wrote: "OPL's in-person book clubs will be reading A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler in April and May. All reviews of the book say that the Whitshank family home in Baltimo..."

Rocio, The House of the Spirits is one of my all-time favourite family sagas. I loved that book so much, but I guess I will have to re-read it because I don't recall the house so strongly. Hmmm...maybe this summer.

Your description of the Strategy of the snail brings to my mind the book by Indian writer, Aravind Adiga, called Last Man in Tower (another amazing book club read!), in which a group of residents agree to the sale of their apartments with the exception of one holdout among them: an elderly man who cannot bear to leave because his recently-deceased blind wife had to know every inch of the building in order to get around. It's an incredible story.

[Jennifer]

Another book I thought of that has an unusual character is the train in "Murder on the Orient Express" It is used as a plot device to bring all the characters of the story together. But could be considered a character in the novel as well.

[Maureen]

The house sounded way too over-the-top to me initially, kind of a Wuthering Heights meets Disney World moment; it also didn't seem realistic that a beautiful home like this could be left abandoned and untouched for seven decades. You can't leave a bike outside unlocked for five minutes nowadays without it being nicked!

Allison wrote: "

Your description of the Strategy of the snail brings to my mind the book by Indian writer, Aravind Adiga, called Last Man in Tower (another amazing book club read!),."

This is a hard book to forget! How a man's love for his wife is inextricably linked to his home--I found it a difficult read because it doesn't spare us but it's so honest, the kind of book that makes us hope that we can be better than those all-too-human characters he writes about.

[Allison]

Maureen wrote: "The house sounded way too over-the-top to me initially, kind of a Wuthering Heights meets Disney World moment; it also didn't seem realistic that a beautiful home like this could be left abandoned ..."

Maureen, I loved Last man in tower and, yes, a difficult progression toward a devastating and shocking end. The mob mentality against this one poor man was heartbreaking. But as you say, makes us hope that we can be better than those behaving badly before our eyes. Now I find myself thinking of Suite Française ...certain life situations bring out the best in a few, but the worst in most.

Completely off our house-as-a-character topic! Sorry folks!

[Susan]

This discussion brings to mind The Elegance of the Hedgehog which studies the inhabitants of a Parisian apartment building through the eyes of its concierge. Each of the flats is so wonderfully drawn that you finish the novel feeling as if you could walk into each one of them.

[Allison]

Susan wrote: "This discussion brings to mind The Elegance of the Hedgehog which studies the inhabitants of a Parisian apartment building through the eyes of its concierge. Each of the flats is so ..."

Now that you mention that one, Susan, it makes me think of the tall narrow house on the coast of where was it? Spain? ...in the book we read about a year ago...All the Light We Cannot See ...now that was a character house!

[Jennifer]

After reading the book, I found the house not so much of a character in the novel. The house was certainly part of the narrative, but it was overshadowed by the characters in the novel. As Sadie was walking through the house, I did not get so much of a picture of the house as when all the characters were there from the past. I found that the house became more alive when there were people in it living. So I appreciated the house in the past more than in the present.

[Maureen]

Allison wrote: "Susan wrote: "This discussion brings to mind The Elegance of the Hedgehog which studies the inhabitants of a Parisian apartment building through the eyes of its concierge. Each of th..."

Another book I'm reminded of, again quite different, is The Shipping News by Annie Proulx. Loved the book but that house was a fearsome thing.

[Allison]

Maureen wrote: "Allison wrote: "Susan wrote: "This discussion brings to mind The Elegance of the Hedgehog which studies the inhabitants of a Parisian apartment building through the eyes of its conci..."

Maureen, this is where I have to confess that I have not read The Shipping News, however I did see the film. Alas, I cannot remember the house. I'm a bit of house nut, so I will put this book on my summer reading list! Cannot wait to see this "fearsome thing"...

[Maureen]

It's been years since I read the book but definitely worth the read! Actually I don't think of myself as a 'house' person but this was one I definitely would not buy. The house, I mean. :-)

[Allison]

Maureen wrote: "It's been years since I read the book but definitely worth the read! Actually I don't think of myself as a 'house' person but this was one I definitely would not buy. The house, I mean. :-)"

I am even more curious now...