The Hundred-Year House: A Novel

The Hundred-Year House: A Novel

The acclaimed author of The Borrower returns with a dazzlingly original, mordantly witty novel about the secrets of an old-money family and their turn-of-the-century estate, Laurelfield. â€œRebecca Makkai is a writer to watch, as sneakily ambitious as she is unpretentious." â€“Richard Russo Â Meet the Devohrs: Zee, a Marxist literary scholar who detests her parentsâ€™ wealth but nevertheless finds herself living in their carriage house; Gracie, her mother, who claims she can tell your lot in life by looking at your teeth; and Bruce, her step-father, stockpiling supplies for the Y2K apocalypse and perpetually late for his tee time. Then thereâ€™s Violet Devohr, Zeeâ€™s great-grandmother, who they say took her own life somewhere in the vast house, and whose massive oil portrait still hangs in the dining room. Violetâ€™s portrait was known to terrify the artists who resided at the house from the 1920s to the 1950s, when it served as the Laurelfield Arts Colonyâ€”and this is exactly the period Zeeâ€™s husband, Doug, is interested in. An out-of-work academic whose only hope of a future position is securing a book deal, Doug is stalled on his biography of the poet Edwin Parfitt, once in residence at the colony. All he needs to get the book back on trackâ€”besides some motivation and self-esteemâ€”is access to the colony records, rotting away in the attic for decades. But when Doug begins to poke around where he shouldnâ€™t, he finds Gracie guards the files with a strange ferocity, raising questions about what she might be hiding. The secrets of the hundred-year house would turn everything Doug and Zee think they know about her family on its headâ€”that is, if they were to ever uncover them. In this brilliantly conceived, ambitious, and deeply rewarding novel, Rebecca Makkai unfolds a generational saga in reverse, leading the reader back in time on a literary scavenger hunt as we seek to uncover the truth about these strange people and this mysterious house. With intelligence and humor, a daring narrative approach, and a lovingly satirical voice, Rebecca Makkai has crafted an unforgettable novel about family, fate and the incredible surprises life can offer. For readers of Dodie Smith'sÂ I Capture the Castle
Country USA
Brand Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer Penguin Books
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 0143127446_used
Color Navy
ReleaseDate 2015-05-26
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780143127444

Country	USA
Brand	Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer	Penguin Books
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	0143127446_used
Color	Navy
ReleaseDate	2015-05-26
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780143127444

The Hundred-Year House: A Novel

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