Harmony House

by John M. McNamara

In Harmony House, Dan Boyle attempts to adapt to his new life as a recent widower. His serial infidelities and alienation from his wife preceding her death haunt him, and as much as he wants to insulate himself from family, friends and neighbors, “untethering” from relationships proves difficult. Shedding obligations is easier wished than done. As he examines his behavior during his marriage and following his wife’s diagnosis and death, Dan accepts that he has failed to live up to his own standards, much less the standards of others. He is torn between admitting his shortcomings and ignoring them. Will he change and live his life as a decent man? Or will he persist in placing his own hedonistic impulses before the needs of others? Is redemption what he needs? Is it what he seeks? Or is it superfluous? A chain that tethers him to a life he wants to forget.

292 pages, Paperback

First published February 3, 2013

About the author

John M. McNamara’s short fiction has been published in Crosscurrents, Old Hickory Review, the Piedmont Literary Review, the Minotaur, Snapdragon, Four Quarters, FlashFiction, Quick Fiction, Bear River Review and Inside Running.

In the summer of 1999, he was awarded a professional artist residency at the OxBow Summer Arts Program for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Saugatuck, Michigan. He lives in Downers Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, with his wife.

He is the author of the novels A Life Without Grace; A Final Reflection; Hunter’s War, A Novella, and Selected Short Stories; Harmony House; Madonna; The Dreams of Teddy Schreck; The Unabridged Songwriter; and Summers on the Nebraska Shore. all available from Amazon.com.

Reviews

[Cynthia Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of John McNamara's superb novel, Harmony House, is deceptive on the face of it. Rather than depicting the unity of those who dwell there, the book takes us down a very different path, one of trials, discord, infidelity and loss. We discover all is not harmonious in the house where newly-widowed Dan Boyle resides uncomfortably with the belongings left behind by his wife, Marcie. The irony comes from the fact that had Marcie not been diagnosed with cancer, the couple probably would’ve severed their ties and gone their separate ways. When the story opens, Dan seeks to stash away all reminders of his deceased wife, which is especially hard to do considering Marcie inherited the house from her father. When he comes across email correspondences between his wife and her best friend, Dan’s take on their marriage is upended by Marcie’s own words, causing him to reevaluate the past.

Once comfortable in casual encounters as an escape from a troubled marriage, Dan now places much more importance on the relationships that fall into his lap. With the knowledge gained from a look inside Marcie’s heart, Dan sets a new course and consciously tries to steer away from old habits. But can he?

As in all the other books I’ve read by this author, I am so impressed with his ability to sum up complex feelings and thoughts shared by millions in breathtakingly astute prose. John McNamara is an undiscovered treasure whose writing rivals the best.