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The Red House
Award-winning novelist Mary Morris weaves together an unsolved family mystery, a poignant coming-of-age story, and a little-known corner of World War II history in this lyrical novel of family, loss and, ultimately, love.
Thirty years ago, Laura’s mother, Viola, went missing. She left behind her purse, her keys and her mysterious paintings of a red house. Viola was never found, and her family never recovered. Laura, an artist herself, held on to the paintings. On the back of each work, her mother scrawled in Italian, “I will not be here forever.” The family never understood what Viola meant.
Decades later, at a crossroads in her marriage and her life, Laura returns to Italy, where her parents met after World War II. Laura spent the earliest years of her childhood there before the family moved to New Jersey and settled into an American dream that eventually became a nightmare. Viola, who claimed to be an orphan, staunchly refused to speak of her life before marriage.
In Italy, Laura finds herself on a strange scavenger hunt to solve the puzzle of her mother’s lost years. She is certain that the paintings of the red house hold the answer to her mother’s past and her search takes her from her hometown of Brindisi, deep into Puglia where she encounters a man who knew her mother and who illuminates little-known secrets of Italy’s Second World War.
Blending elements of true crime with settings that evoke Elena Ferrante, Laura follows her mother’s trajectory as she ventures north to Naples, Turin and finally home. Along the way, she confronts the dark truth of her mother's story and at last makes sense of her own.
Thirty years ago, Laura’s mother, Viola, went missing. She left behind her purse, her keys and her mysterious paintings of a red house. Viola was never found, and her family never recovered. Laura, an artist herself, held on to the paintings. On the back of each work, her mother scrawled in Italian, “I will not be here forever.” The family never understood what Viola meant.
Decades later, at a crossroads in her marriage and her life, Laura returns to Italy, where her parents met after World War II. Laura spent the earliest years of her childhood there before the family moved to New Jersey and settled into an American dream that eventually became a nightmare. Viola, who claimed to be an orphan, staunchly refused to speak of her life before marriage.
In Italy, Laura finds herself on a strange scavenger hunt to solve the puzzle of her mother’s lost years. She is certain that the paintings of the red house hold the answer to her mother’s past and her search takes her from her hometown of Brindisi, deep into Puglia where she encounters a man who knew her mother and who illuminates little-known secrets of Italy’s Second World War.
Blending elements of true crime with settings that evoke Elena Ferrante, Laura follows her mother’s trajectory as she ventures north to Naples, Turin and finally home. Along the way, she confronts the dark truth of her mother's story and at last makes sense of her own.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published May 13, 2025
151 people are currently reading
8331 people want to read
About the author
Mary Morris
103 books360 followersI was born in Chicago and, though I have lived in New York for many years, my roots are still in the Midwest and many of my stories are set there. As a writer my closest influences are Willa Cather and F. Scott Fitzgerald. I travel as much as I can and travel fuels everything I do. When I travel, I keep extensive journals which are handwritten and include watercolors, collage as well as text. All my writing begins in these journals. I tend to move between fiction and nonfiction. I spent seventeen years working on my last novel, The Jazz Palace. I think I learned a lot writing that book because the next one only took three years., Gateway to the Moon. Gateway which will be out in March 2018 is historical fiction about the secret Jews of New Mexico. I am also working on my fifth travel memoir about my travels alone. This one is about looking for tigers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
July 22, 2025
4.25 Stars — Emotional and eye-opening: THE RED HOUSE by Mary Morris is a poignant dual timeline story about a part of WWII Italian history that I wasn't familiar with.
When Laura was young, her mother, Viola, disappeared without a trace, leaving the family with an immense hole and many unanswered questions. Viola was a painter, and her work that stood out most to Laura were paintings of a mysterious red house. On the back, Viola wrote the words, "I will not be here forever.”
Thirty years later, Laura is at a pivotal moment in her life, and decides to take the painting and return to Italy where her mother was from, in hopes of finding closure of some kind.
Flowing back and forth between Viola in the past and Laura in the present, this book touches on generational trauma and mother-daughter relationships. It's a beautifully written historical family mystery with a cast of compelling characters. Haunting.
When Laura was young, her mother, Viola, disappeared without a trace, leaving the family with an immense hole and many unanswered questions. Viola was a painter, and her work that stood out most to Laura were paintings of a mysterious red house. On the back, Viola wrote the words, "I will not be here forever.”
Thirty years later, Laura is at a pivotal moment in her life, and decides to take the painting and return to Italy where her mother was from, in hopes of finding closure of some kind.
Flowing back and forth between Viola in the past and Laura in the present, this book touches on generational trauma and mother-daughter relationships. It's a beautifully written historical family mystery with a cast of compelling characters. Haunting.
May 17, 2025
As The Red House begins, we meet Laura, a 42 year old woman, who has acted on an impulse, an impulse building since she was 12 years old, and traveled to Italy. Thirty years earlier, her mother, Viola, disappeared from her home, leaving Laura, her younger daughter, and her husband behind. They never heard from their wife and mother again. In The Red House, Mary Morris has created a novel that moves back and forth in time, tracing Viola’s life as a child in wartime Italy, Laura’s experience as Viola’s daughter for twelve years and then her motherless years, then her search in Italy for evidence of Viola’s life and family and any clues about her disappearance.
Viola had always professed to having no family and never discussed her life during the war so Laura’s trip to Italy is a desperate move to go to the place where her parents met after the war, where she was born and lived for the first few years of her life. Her primary focus-to find the red house, the seemingly obsessive subject of so many of her mother’s paintings. To do this, she must fight the demons of her memory and learn of the nature of World War II in Italy. There is much to learn and surprises ahead. None of it is easy.
While this is an interesting story with a very different look at WWII and the carryover of damage over generations, I found the structure of the story slowed my reading down. There are major portions of the book devoted to each time and the mother/daughter duo, but there are also frequent time/narrator changes chapter to chapter within each section. I did not find it confusing but I simply found it slowed me down. I am glad that I read this book as it has an unusual look at the post war family, at least a look with complexities over time and generations that I have never read before.
Rating 3.5* rounded to 3.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.
Viola had always professed to having no family and never discussed her life during the war so Laura’s trip to Italy is a desperate move to go to the place where her parents met after the war, where she was born and lived for the first few years of her life. Her primary focus-to find the red house, the seemingly obsessive subject of so many of her mother’s paintings. To do this, she must fight the demons of her memory and learn of the nature of World War II in Italy. There is much to learn and surprises ahead. None of it is easy.
While this is an interesting story with a very different look at WWII and the carryover of damage over generations, I found the structure of the story slowed my reading down. There are major portions of the book devoted to each time and the mother/daughter duo, but there are also frequent time/narrator changes chapter to chapter within each section. I did not find it confusing but I simply found it slowed me down. I am glad that I read this book as it has an unusual look at the post war family, at least a look with complexities over time and generations that I have never read before.
Rating 3.5* rounded to 3.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.
May 14, 2025
This was really such an enjoyable historical fiction read. Full of family, WW2 history, secrets, and mystery. My first book by Morris and I was impressed. I was never bored and was pulled in by the beautiful, lyrical writing.
Our main character Laura heads to Italy to search for her mother Viola, who had disappeared 30 years ago, after new evidence comes to light. She is in search of The Red House from her mother's paintings. The story has multiple timelines. It goes from Laura during present time and then her childhood. We also read about Viola's life, and her times of living through WW2. I found both timelines to be interesting, but really was captivated by Viola's experiences during the war and her family's survival through these horrible fascist times. I was happy with the satisfying way everything came together and finding out what had happened to Viola. Definitely a fascinating story!!
thank you to the publisher, author, and Suzy approved book tours for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Our main character Laura heads to Italy to search for her mother Viola, who had disappeared 30 years ago, after new evidence comes to light. She is in search of The Red House from her mother's paintings. The story has multiple timelines. It goes from Laura during present time and then her childhood. We also read about Viola's life, and her times of living through WW2. I found both timelines to be interesting, but really was captivated by Viola's experiences during the war and her family's survival through these horrible fascist times. I was happy with the satisfying way everything came together and finding out what had happened to Viola. Definitely a fascinating story!!
thank you to the publisher, author, and Suzy approved book tours for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
June 5, 2025
TITLE: The Red House
AUTHOR: Mary Morris
PUB DATE: 05.13.2025
Award-winning novelist Mary Morris weaves together an unsolved family mystery, a poignant coming-of-age story, and a little-known corner of World War II history in this lyrical novel of family, loss and, ultimately, love.
THOUGHTS:
The Red House By Mary Morris is a triumph! I love an intriguing story, about a woman in search for her mother who disappeared suddenly without a trace, thirty years ago. Her search for answer takes her through Italy and the painful truths of the devastating toll of WWII.
The descriptions were great and made me long to go back to Italy. Told in multiple timelines, i enjoyed learning about the mystery and the secrets kept. My heart broke for both Laura and Viola, two strong women that needed to find their peace. I will be thinking about these characters for a while.
AUTHOR: Mary Morris
PUB DATE: 05.13.2025
Award-winning novelist Mary Morris weaves together an unsolved family mystery, a poignant coming-of-age story, and a little-known corner of World War II history in this lyrical novel of family, loss and, ultimately, love.
THOUGHTS:
The Red House By Mary Morris is a triumph! I love an intriguing story, about a woman in search for her mother who disappeared suddenly without a trace, thirty years ago. Her search for answer takes her through Italy and the painful truths of the devastating toll of WWII.
The descriptions were great and made me long to go back to Italy. Told in multiple timelines, i enjoyed learning about the mystery and the secrets kept. My heart broke for both Laura and Viola, two strong women that needed to find their peace. I will be thinking about these characters for a while.
April 13, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
The Red House.
** Minor drama free spoilers ahead **
This is a story about Laura's mom Viola who went missing 30 years ago.
Now in her early 40s, and her missing mom's whereabouts still unresolved, Laura embarks on a personal journey of self-reflection and painful truths from her past and her mothers.
Armed with few clues, including her mother's mysterious paintings of a red house, Laura travels to Italy and retraces her mother's footsteps to a past she never wished to talk about.
When she discovers her mother's painful secrets and the harsh truths that led to her disappearance, Laura is finally able to face her own life and what needs to be done to get back on track.
As some readers noted, there is no distinction between the chapters; sometimes we're reading Laura's POV and other times from Viola but that's not made clear.
There are no chapter headings/titles to distinguish whose chapter it is.
I enjoyed the writing; deep, thoughtful, but very stream of consciousess-like as chapters flip flop from Laura's investigation and remembering something from her childhood; an aspect of her mother she's recalling or an event from her childhood or the case into her mother's disappearance and the strain it put on her, her sister and dad.
Not surprisingly, I found the most interesting character to be Viola; strong, determined, a survivor.
I didn't dislike Laura, but I didn't like her; despite the narrative being carried by her POV, I found her character development lacking.
But this is really about Viola and how the time she spent in the Red House changed the course of her life forever.
I was hoping the narrative was more of a straightforward mystery, not something that traced back to the atrocities of WWII.
I'm not a fan of narratives with war themes but I'm grateful for the opportunity to read a novel from an author I've never read before.
** Minor drama free spoilers ahead **
This is a story about Laura's mom Viola who went missing 30 years ago.
Now in her early 40s, and her missing mom's whereabouts still unresolved, Laura embarks on a personal journey of self-reflection and painful truths from her past and her mothers.
Armed with few clues, including her mother's mysterious paintings of a red house, Laura travels to Italy and retraces her mother's footsteps to a past she never wished to talk about.
When she discovers her mother's painful secrets and the harsh truths that led to her disappearance, Laura is finally able to face her own life and what needs to be done to get back on track.
As some readers noted, there is no distinction between the chapters; sometimes we're reading Laura's POV and other times from Viola but that's not made clear.
There are no chapter headings/titles to distinguish whose chapter it is.
I enjoyed the writing; deep, thoughtful, but very stream of consciousess-like as chapters flip flop from Laura's investigation and remembering something from her childhood; an aspect of her mother she's recalling or an event from her childhood or the case into her mother's disappearance and the strain it put on her, her sister and dad.
Not surprisingly, I found the most interesting character to be Viola; strong, determined, a survivor.
I didn't dislike Laura, but I didn't like her; despite the narrative being carried by her POV, I found her character development lacking.
But this is really about Viola and how the time she spent in the Red House changed the course of her life forever.
I was hoping the narrative was more of a straightforward mystery, not something that traced back to the atrocities of WWII.
I'm not a fan of narratives with war themes but I'm grateful for the opportunity to read a novel from an author I've never read before.
May 26, 2025
I have a WWII recommendation for you today that won’t feel like your typical war story. THE RED HOUSE by Mary Morris swept me away instantly, and I think fans of historical mysteries will have a similar reaction. Take a peek at this quick synopsis:
“𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥-𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘰𝘧-𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦-𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘞𝘢𝘳 𝘐𝘐 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.”
Laura, a 40-something woman goes searching for clues about her mother’s disappearance from over thirty years ago. She travels to Italy in search of a “red house” that appeared in her mother’s paintings. The tidbits she discovers about her mother’s past are quite heartbreaking and dark. Through these difficult family secrets and history, Laura begins to understand how her mother’s past experiences shaped her and likely impacted her decisions later in life.
READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:
- WWII stories
- Historical mysteries
- Multiple POVs and timelines
- Mother/daughter relationships
- Missing person cases
- Slow-burning mysteries
- Survival stories
- Coming-of-age stories
- Family secrets
- Emotional reads
Overall, I was very impressed by this novel full of mystery, love, history, and family. I can’t wait to read more from Morris. 4/5 stars for THE RED HOUSE! It’s out now!
“𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥-𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘰𝘧-𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦-𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘞𝘢𝘳 𝘐𝘐 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.”
Laura, a 40-something woman goes searching for clues about her mother’s disappearance from over thirty years ago. She travels to Italy in search of a “red house” that appeared in her mother’s paintings. The tidbits she discovers about her mother’s past are quite heartbreaking and dark. Through these difficult family secrets and history, Laura begins to understand how her mother’s past experiences shaped her and likely impacted her decisions later in life.
READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:
- WWII stories
- Historical mysteries
- Multiple POVs and timelines
- Mother/daughter relationships
- Missing person cases
- Slow-burning mysteries
- Survival stories
- Coming-of-age stories
- Family secrets
- Emotional reads
Overall, I was very impressed by this novel full of mystery, love, history, and family. I can’t wait to read more from Morris. 4/5 stars for THE RED HOUSE! It’s out now!
June 7, 2025
Laura, now an adult, and 30 years later is trying to find out what happened to her mother, who just left her family with no explanation when Laura was young. Leaving her purse, keys and some paintings she did of a red house, and which on the back had writen in Italian, “I will not be here forever.”
At a cross road in her marriage, Laura decides she would go to Italy where her parents had met after World War ll, and she if she can piece together what had happened to her mother, or maybe even find her .
She meets people who knew her and went to different parts of Italy , on a hunt to find clues, and so the mystery begins and ends.
I have read quite a few books by this author and have enjoyed them very much.
This one was very good.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Doubleday books for a copy of this book.
At a cross road in her marriage, Laura decides she would go to Italy where her parents had met after World War ll, and she if she can piece together what had happened to her mother, or maybe even find her .
She meets people who knew her and went to different parts of Italy , on a hunt to find clues, and so the mystery begins and ends.
I have read quite a few books by this author and have enjoyed them very much.
This one was very good.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Doubleday books for a copy of this book.
January 11, 2025
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. Laura is looking for her mother who disappeared decades ago. What she uncovers is a story she has never heard before. Through this journey, she is introduced to a woman she never knew. Compelling and heartbreaking. A must read!
June 19, 2025
I don't often pick up WW2 historical fiction for various reasons, but when I saw a review of this book that stated this was a family mystery, I was intriqued.
The story follows Laura, who at present is trying to move on from the disappearance of her mother who grew up in Italy and emigrated to the US after eloping with her father at the tail end of WW2. Growing up, Laura's mother Violet (Viola) kept her past guarded, with only a few details of what her life in Italy was like. One day Laura's mother failed to pick her and her sister up for school, leaving behind a half eaten sandwich and all of her belongings.
Over the next several decades, Laura is trying to piece together what happened to make her mother go away and if she was still alive somewhere. After a failing marriage, a disasterous relationship with the detective, and now a world away in Italy, Lauara is trying to fit together the broken narrative she has of her mother.
This book has dual timelines from Viola's growing up years at a prison camp in Italy during the Second World War, to Laura finding out about her family secrets- it is very good but also dark (you have been warned). This isn't a fluffy historical fiction and shows the darker trauma war has, especially on youth. It is about Jewish history and the aftermath of WW2. It also features exploring one's sexuality and how often it is used as an escape for trauma.
This was gritty, but I am so glad I read it. A huge thank you to Double Day for my physical copy and to RB Media (NetGalley) for my audiobook copy! Admittedly, I used more of my physical copy than the audiobook- but I thought the audiobook was great! It was easy to keep the characters straight admist the timeline changes.
The story follows Laura, who at present is trying to move on from the disappearance of her mother who grew up in Italy and emigrated to the US after eloping with her father at the tail end of WW2. Growing up, Laura's mother Violet (Viola) kept her past guarded, with only a few details of what her life in Italy was like. One day Laura's mother failed to pick her and her sister up for school, leaving behind a half eaten sandwich and all of her belongings.
Over the next several decades, Laura is trying to piece together what happened to make her mother go away and if she was still alive somewhere. After a failing marriage, a disasterous relationship with the detective, and now a world away in Italy, Lauara is trying to fit together the broken narrative she has of her mother.
This book has dual timelines from Viola's growing up years at a prison camp in Italy during the Second World War, to Laura finding out about her family secrets- it is very good but also dark (you have been warned). This isn't a fluffy historical fiction and shows the darker trauma war has, especially on youth. It is about Jewish history and the aftermath of WW2. It also features exploring one's sexuality and how often it is used as an escape for trauma.
This was gritty, but I am so glad I read it. A huge thank you to Double Day for my physical copy and to RB Media (NetGalley) for my audiobook copy! Admittedly, I used more of my physical copy than the audiobook- but I thought the audiobook was great! It was easy to keep the characters straight admist the timeline changes.
July 7, 2025
Definitely a slow burn. Good novel with great intentions.
August 13, 2025
This is another 2025 beach read. Morris does a great job telling the story of an adult daughter searching for her mother who went missing years ago. I think the novel had many surprises, and was just a pleasure to read overall. For those of you who love coming-of age stories, historical fiction, and multigenerational stories… this one’s for you.
Thanks Doubleday for an advanced copy of this book.
Thanks Doubleday for an advanced copy of this book.
May 5, 2025
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A combination unsolved family mystery, coming of age story, and historical fiction--WWII, Italy/holocaust. Dual/triple? timeline. The way before of Viola from young child to young adult in Italy, the Violet in New Jersey, and the Laura in Brooklyn, then Italy.
WWII--backstory, And when in the Red House, like most Holocaust stories, extremely depressing.
Laura's mother, Viola/Violet disappeared three decades ago in New Jersey leaving behind her husband and two daughters. Why? What is her story? Laura knows her father met her mother while he was serving in the army in Italy. She was a loving, involved mother who painted. What is the red house? Why does Detective Hendricks, who was involved in the case call, [and keep calling] Laura 39 years later?
Parts were very interesting and informative--life in the red house, the various inhabitants, the villagers and camp staff.
I enjoyed the book--until I did not--as much. Went from 4 to 3.5, ultimately a 3. I was slogging through some of the narrative--wanted to find out the why/mystery--just didn't care as much. At times a disconnect. And no spoiler from me, a brief derailment--did that part need to be in the story? I DO NOT KNOW.
A combination unsolved family mystery, coming of age story, and historical fiction--WWII, Italy/holocaust. Dual/triple? timeline. The way before of Viola from young child to young adult in Italy, the Violet in New Jersey, and the Laura in Brooklyn, then Italy.
WWII--backstory, And when in the Red House, like most Holocaust stories, extremely depressing.
Laura's mother, Viola/Violet disappeared three decades ago in New Jersey leaving behind her husband and two daughters. Why? What is her story? Laura knows her father met her mother while he was serving in the army in Italy. She was a loving, involved mother who painted. What is the red house? Why does Detective Hendricks, who was involved in the case call, [and keep calling] Laura 39 years later?
Parts were very interesting and informative--life in the red house, the various inhabitants, the villagers and camp staff.
I enjoyed the book--until I did not--as much. Went from 4 to 3.5, ultimately a 3. I was slogging through some of the narrative--wanted to find out the why/mystery--just didn't care as much. At times a disconnect. And no spoiler from me, a brief derailment--did that part need to be in the story? I DO NOT KNOW.
Read
November 18, 2025No
A book I borrowed from the library to try before I buy (tired buying hundreds books and hating half)
I do not rate these “tested”
books. This is really for me. I will not be buying, reading borrowing this book.
I read first ch or more -first 10-100 pages skim around at times. I read many of my GR friend’s reviews. This is what I did and didn’t like:
Stunning cover
I saw an interview with this author and became very interested in this story. The red house its own character. And I love a mo dtr story. Reviews good on goodreads and MF. One in comm c/o two pov confusing & unmarked. I’ll be ok right? ESP if it’s just bk & forth.
Nope 👎. I thought it would just flow for me but wtf I find it very confusing. I went to AI “the narrative shifts between the perspectives of Viola and Laura to tell two intertwined stories. However, these shifts are not structured as strictly "every other chapter" and there are no clear chapter headings or titles to indicate the change in perspective. “
Oh… ok this won’t work for me. I’m not going to work hard reading. It is at my library across street. I might borrow it later & give it a go as the story sounds interesting but I won’t buy it.
A book I borrowed from the library to try before I buy (tired buying hundreds books and hating half)
I do not rate these “tested”
books. This is really for me. I will not be buying, reading borrowing this book.
I read first ch or more -first 10-100 pages skim around at times. I read many of my GR friend’s reviews. This is what I did and didn’t like:
Stunning cover
I saw an interview with this author and became very interested in this story. The red house its own character. And I love a mo dtr story. Reviews good on goodreads and MF. One in comm c/o two pov confusing & unmarked. I’ll be ok right? ESP if it’s just bk & forth.
Nope 👎. I thought it would just flow for me but wtf I find it very confusing. I went to AI “the narrative shifts between the perspectives of Viola and Laura to tell two intertwined stories. However, these shifts are not structured as strictly "every other chapter" and there are no clear chapter headings or titles to indicate the change in perspective. “
Oh… ok this won’t work for me. I’m not going to work hard reading. It is at my library across street. I might borrow it later & give it a go as the story sounds interesting but I won’t buy it.
July 3, 2025
This book has lots of naval gazing and a great example of what generational trauma looks like . MC 45 year old Laura has felt adrift her entire life, well actually ever since her mother Violetta disappeared when she was 12. All evidence indicates that one day she was going about her business, working at he library, creating a costume for her oldest daughter, but came home for lunch and poof disappeared. No signs of struggle, half eaten sandwich, keys on the table, car in driveway. Poof she was gone.
30 years later- the investigating detective leaves a voicemail “please call me” . Instead, without telling her husband (who she had been drifting apart from)- Laura takes off to Italy.
What happened at the Red House ( hint : Nazis) and the utter devastation of the people post war continues to echo though the decades, inflicting pain for generations.
I was fully invested in this story and really rooting for both Laura and Violetta. I found the story compelling, but it could have been much shorter.
Thanks to the publisher and Net galley for a chance to read this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.
30 years later- the investigating detective leaves a voicemail “please call me” . Instead, without telling her husband (who she had been drifting apart from)- Laura takes off to Italy.
What happened at the Red House ( hint : Nazis) and the utter devastation of the people post war continues to echo though the decades, inflicting pain for generations.
I was fully invested in this story and really rooting for both Laura and Violetta. I found the story compelling, but it could have been much shorter.
Thanks to the publisher and Net galley for a chance to read this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.
May 8, 2025
This book has everything! From unsolved family mystery, with a coming of age story, and historical fiction--WWII, Italy/holocaust. Always wondering Laura has never gotten over her mother’s disappearance for years. Laura has felt that something is missing from both her marriage and her work. Deciding to uncover her family history she returns to Italy, this is where her mother Viola came from. Suddenly it seems Laura goes back in time (in her mind) to when there was a war in Italy known as Italy’s Second World War. There is a picture during current time of a red house that her mother had painted. On the back of each work, her mother scrawled in Italian, “I will not be here forever.” The family never understood what Viola meant. Somehow, Laura is determined to find this red house and uncover what happened. Blending elements of true crime with settings that evoke Elena Ferrante, Laura follows her mother’s trajectory as she ventures north to Naples, Turin and finally home. Along the way, she confronts the dark truth of her mother's story and at last makes sense of her own.
July 13, 2025
This story was different than anything I’d read before and I learned about what WWII looked like for Jews in Italy. I found the narrator slightly annoying and whiny, but as I read about her family, maybe this was intentional? I find it remarkable that people who have gone through so much trauma (surviving a war) never speak of their experience again. Obviously they don’t want to relive it and want to move past it but damn mama you were holding so much inside! Thankful we find out what happened to mom in the end but do feel like her leaving a note would be way more aligned with who she was as a person.
June 12, 2025
Although this book tells a tragic story, (you are forewarned), I could not put it down (actually could not stop listening). The main protagonist is 42 yo, when she decides to travel to Italy to delve into her mother’s history. Her mother literally vanished into thin air when she was 6 yo.
I will never be able to forget this story Mary Morris. The Red House will stay in my conscious. I am also traveling to Italy next week (Sorrento via Naples), which is why I absolutely had to finish the book promptly.
Like I said, it is tragic, but this book is so good. 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
I will never be able to forget this story Mary Morris. The Red House will stay in my conscious. I am also traveling to Italy next week (Sorrento via Naples), which is why I absolutely had to finish the book promptly.
Like I said, it is tragic, but this book is so good. 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
November 7, 2025
A terribly sad book that was so heavy and left me feeling hollow, haunted. It earned five stars because this book was so beautifully written. Every single word the author wrote meant something, tied in somewhere. I appreciated that we learned the fate of everyone, except Laura.
Laura's mom left her family, disappeared, and killed herself by drowning when her demons became too much. This story is Laura going on a journey to discover her mother's past as an Italian Jew during WWII. Family trauma, mental illness.
How much do we ever really know about our parents, our ancestors; and yet, how do their stories define ours?
Laura's mom left her family, disappeared, and killed herself by drowning when her demons became too much. This story is Laura going on a journey to discover her mother's past as an Italian Jew during WWII. Family trauma, mental illness.
How much do we ever really know about our parents, our ancestors; and yet, how do their stories define ours?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2025
This book had potential, but the main character was incredibly selfish and the writing was too superfluous. Also, how did the narrator know all these things in the end if her mother never talked about her past? I had to suspend my belief too much.
June 16, 2025
Very good story!
August 10, 2025
Family in Italy during WWII. Sent to a large “red house”. Building to detain them.
The mystery of how and why a woman in the US just up and walks away from her family one day
The mystery of how and why a woman in the US just up and walks away from her family one day
April 28, 2025
As Laura nears the age that her mother was when she disappeared, she can’t stop thinking about her. Spurred on by a phone call from the detective who has been on her mother’s missing person case for the last thirty years, Laura returns to Italy to discover just how much she never knew about her mother’s life and her own family. Mary Morris takes her readers on an emotional journey between the present-day and war-torn Italy during World War II, in a search of understanding and connection between mothers and daughters. I really enjoyed Morris’s descriptive style, bringing both the scenery and the characters’ thoughts and emotions to life. A great book for readers who like historical fiction, unsolved cases, and exploring the challenging emotions that come from dark and difficult human experiences.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an early reader copy!
Content warnings: Antisemitism, death, suicide
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an early reader copy!
Content warnings: Antisemitism, death, suicide
November 16, 2025
3.75/5 - I am glad I listened to this eventually because in all honesty I might not have finished it otherwise. A journey to find her mother, Laura ends up learning about their family and their life during WWII with the Nazi occupation. A harrowing story but one that actually leads her to perhaps understand why her mother walked out of their lives years ago.
November 20, 2025
We all liked this book though it is heartbreaking and has an unlikeable main character. It isn't a typical WW II story, which was refreshing - if that's the right word!
The chapters could sometimes be confusing as to whose POV it was.
I also had a major plot question.
If Viola had not kept her past a secret and perhaps also gone to therapy, would the outcome have been the same? Regardless, keeping secrets and leading a double life are never healthy!
The chapters could sometimes be confusing as to whose POV it was.
I also had a major plot question.
If Viola had not kept her past a secret and perhaps also gone to therapy, would the outcome have been the same? Regardless, keeping secrets and leading a double life are never healthy!
May 18, 2025
Powerful story well written. Told by Laura, a daughter searching for what happened to her mother Viola, who went missing 30 years ago. But the story of Viola's childhood is the powerful part. Her parents were sent to the Red House, an abandoned orphanage, along with other Jews in Italy. This is of course during World War II. Viola's early years were horrific beyond imagination, and she did what she had to to survive. Why then did she seemingly walk away from her family one day without a word?
June 7, 2025
I throughly enjoyed this book that I was gifted by Net Galley. I read a lot of historical fiction, mostly World War II and Holocaust, but this is the first book I have read that was based in Italy. The story line was very compelling and I appreciated how the author wove the story line back and forth from the present back several generations. Highly recommend!
October 1, 2025
This book was a fantastic fusion of true crime and mystery with historical fiction mixed in. The author so seamlessly and beautifully blended the elements of mystery and history. The characters were dynamic and jumped off the page. And the short chapters (to me at least) made the story just fly by so fast!
I don’t want to say too much and spoil it - but I’ve never really read about Italian Jews and what happened to them in WWII. Italy isn’t a place I ever associated with a Jewish population, so I really enjoyed that element.
Laura’s mother, Viola or her Americanized name Violet, disappeared when Laura was a kid. It shattered her family forever. Now thirty years later, she decides to travel to Italy where her parents were from, to see if she can find out more about her mother’s past and maybe a clue as to where her mother went all those years ago. Is she still alive?
On her journey through the beautiful southern Italy, she finds out about her mother’s past, in a scavenger type hunt through small villages and towns like Brindisi and Puglia. Through her travels, will Laura find the answers she’s looking for? Will she find peace at last?
I don’t want to say too much and spoil it - but I’ve never really read about Italian Jews and what happened to them in WWII. Italy isn’t a place I ever associated with a Jewish population, so I really enjoyed that element.
Laura’s mother, Viola or her Americanized name Violet, disappeared when Laura was a kid. It shattered her family forever. Now thirty years later, she decides to travel to Italy where her parents were from, to see if she can find out more about her mother’s past and maybe a clue as to where her mother went all those years ago. Is she still alive?
On her journey through the beautiful southern Italy, she finds out about her mother’s past, in a scavenger type hunt through small villages and towns like Brindisi and Puglia. Through her travels, will Laura find the answers she’s looking for? Will she find peace at last?
April 14, 2025
Years ago her mother walked out - now Laura travels to Italy to find where her mother went and why - a sad meditative book about loss and longing - family and secrets during WWII and current day - with varying pov telling the story of incarceration in the res house with other Jewish families
May 27, 2025
The novel opens with Laura, a middle-aged woman whose life feels suspended in perpetual uncertainty, much like her mother Viola's mysterious disappearance thirty years prior. When Detective Hendricks calls after decades of silence, Laura finds herself compelled to journey to Italy, following the cryptic clues left behind in her mother's paintings of a red house. What begins as a search for answers becomes a profound reckoning with inherited trauma and the brutal realities of survival during wartime.
The Architecture of Memory
A Mystery That Transcends Genre
Morris expertly weaves together multiple narrative threads, creating what feels less like a traditional mystery and more like an archaeological dig through layers of suppressed history. The "red house" of the title—revealed to be an internment camp in Puglia where Italian Jews were detained during World War II—serves as both literal setting and powerful metaphor for the places we cannot escape, even decades later.
The structure of the novel mirrors Laura's psychological journey, moving between past and present with a dreamlike quality that reflects how trauma fragments memory. Morris's decision to divide the narrative into four distinct "stories" creates a sense of completion while acknowledging that some wounds never fully heal.
Characters Carved from Pain and Survival
Laura emerges as a complex protagonist whose professional life staging homes for sale becomes a poignant metaphor for her own inability to create lasting foundations. Her relationship with Detective Hendricks—inappropriate, desperate, and ultimately hollow—reveals the depths of her abandonment issues while raising uncomfortable questions about power dynamics and trauma responses.
Viola, revealed through flashbacks and testimonies, transforms from mysterious absence into fully realized character. Her journey from sheltered child to survivor of unimaginable circumstances to American housewife creates a portrait of resilience that's both inspiring and heartbreaking. Morris refuses to sentimentalize Viola's choices, presenting them as the desperate calculations of someone for whom survival always came first.
The supporting characters—particularly Tommaso, the young soldier who loved Viola, and Uncle Rudy, the brother she abandoned—provide crucial perspectives that illuminate different facets of wartime experience and its lasting psychological impact.
Historical Fiction with Unprecedented Authenticity
Illuminating Forgotten History
Morris's greatest achievement lies in bringing to light a virtually unknown chapter of Holocaust history. The internment of foreign Jews in southern Italy, often presented as "protective custody," receives the serious historical treatment it deserves. The detail with which Morris describes life at the Red House—the hunger, cold, makeshift education, and gradual erosion of dignity—feels meticulously researched yet never academic.
The novel's progression from internment to the chaos of liberated Naples, where survival meant making impossible choices, demonstrates Morris's commitment to historical accuracy without exploitation. Her portrayal of post-war Naples—with its black market economy, widespread prostitution, and moral ambiguity—provides crucial context for understanding how ordinary people became capable of extraordinary acts of desperation.
Emotional Truth Over Sensationalism
What distinguishes The Red House from other Holocaust fiction is Morris's focus on emotional truth over dramatic revelation. The horror emerges not from single moments of violence but from the steady accumulation of losses—of home, identity, family, and ultimately hope. The scene where Viola must choose between her own survival and caring for her sick brother carries more devastating impact than any action sequence could achieve.
Literary Craftsmanship and Style
Prose That Mirrors Its Subject
Morris's writing style evolves throughout the novel, beginning with the crisp, controlled voice of contemporary Laura and gradually becoming more impressionistic as the historical narrative takes hold. This stylistic shift mirrors the protagonist's journey from surface-level understanding to profound emotional truth.
The author's background in travel writing serves her well here, particularly in her vivid descriptions of Italian landscapes and cityscapes. Her portrayal of Puglia, Naples, and Turin creates a geography of memory where each location carries its own emotional weight.
Symbolism That Enriches Rather Than Overwhelms
The recurring motifs—birds, hooks, mirrors, and of course the red house itself—emerge organically from the narrative rather than feeling imposed. Morris's use of Viola's paintings as both literal clues and metaphorical representations of memory demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how art can carry meaning across generations.
Areas Where the Novel Struggles
Pacing and Structure Concerns
While the novel's non-linear structure serves its themes well, some sections feel more compelling than others. The contemporary portions occasionally lack the emotional intensity of the historical narrative, making Laura's present-day struggles feel somewhat pale by comparison. The relationship with Patrick, Laura's husband, never quite achieves the depth necessary to make their marital crisis feel as urgent as her family mystery.
Resolution and Closure
The novel's ending, while emotionally satisfying, may leave some readers wanting more concrete answers. Morris's decision to focus on emotional truth over factual closure serves the story's themes but might frustrate readers seeking more traditional mystery resolution.
Final Assessment: A Necessary and Beautiful Book
The Red House succeeds brilliantly as both historical fiction and family drama, offering readers an emotionally devastating yet ultimately redemptive journey through one of history's darker chapters. Morris has created a novel that honors both the specific suffering of Italian Jews during World War II and the universal experience of families fractured by trauma and silence.
The book's greatest strength lies in its refusal to offer easy answers or simple redemption. Instead, it presents the messy, complicated reality of how trauma passes between generations and how understanding our history—however painful—remains essential to healing.
The Architecture of Memory
A Mystery That Transcends Genre
Morris expertly weaves together multiple narrative threads, creating what feels less like a traditional mystery and more like an archaeological dig through layers of suppressed history. The "red house" of the title—revealed to be an internment camp in Puglia where Italian Jews were detained during World War II—serves as both literal setting and powerful metaphor for the places we cannot escape, even decades later.
The structure of the novel mirrors Laura's psychological journey, moving between past and present with a dreamlike quality that reflects how trauma fragments memory. Morris's decision to divide the narrative into four distinct "stories" creates a sense of completion while acknowledging that some wounds never fully heal.
Characters Carved from Pain and Survival
Laura emerges as a complex protagonist whose professional life staging homes for sale becomes a poignant metaphor for her own inability to create lasting foundations. Her relationship with Detective Hendricks—inappropriate, desperate, and ultimately hollow—reveals the depths of her abandonment issues while raising uncomfortable questions about power dynamics and trauma responses.
Viola, revealed through flashbacks and testimonies, transforms from mysterious absence into fully realized character. Her journey from sheltered child to survivor of unimaginable circumstances to American housewife creates a portrait of resilience that's both inspiring and heartbreaking. Morris refuses to sentimentalize Viola's choices, presenting them as the desperate calculations of someone for whom survival always came first.
The supporting characters—particularly Tommaso, the young soldier who loved Viola, and Uncle Rudy, the brother she abandoned—provide crucial perspectives that illuminate different facets of wartime experience and its lasting psychological impact.
Historical Fiction with Unprecedented Authenticity
Illuminating Forgotten History
Morris's greatest achievement lies in bringing to light a virtually unknown chapter of Holocaust history. The internment of foreign Jews in southern Italy, often presented as "protective custody," receives the serious historical treatment it deserves. The detail with which Morris describes life at the Red House—the hunger, cold, makeshift education, and gradual erosion of dignity—feels meticulously researched yet never academic.
The novel's progression from internment to the chaos of liberated Naples, where survival meant making impossible choices, demonstrates Morris's commitment to historical accuracy without exploitation. Her portrayal of post-war Naples—with its black market economy, widespread prostitution, and moral ambiguity—provides crucial context for understanding how ordinary people became capable of extraordinary acts of desperation.
Emotional Truth Over Sensationalism
What distinguishes The Red House from other Holocaust fiction is Morris's focus on emotional truth over dramatic revelation. The horror emerges not from single moments of violence but from the steady accumulation of losses—of home, identity, family, and ultimately hope. The scene where Viola must choose between her own survival and caring for her sick brother carries more devastating impact than any action sequence could achieve.
Literary Craftsmanship and Style
Prose That Mirrors Its Subject
Morris's writing style evolves throughout the novel, beginning with the crisp, controlled voice of contemporary Laura and gradually becoming more impressionistic as the historical narrative takes hold. This stylistic shift mirrors the protagonist's journey from surface-level understanding to profound emotional truth.
The author's background in travel writing serves her well here, particularly in her vivid descriptions of Italian landscapes and cityscapes. Her portrayal of Puglia, Naples, and Turin creates a geography of memory where each location carries its own emotional weight.
Symbolism That Enriches Rather Than Overwhelms
The recurring motifs—birds, hooks, mirrors, and of course the red house itself—emerge organically from the narrative rather than feeling imposed. Morris's use of Viola's paintings as both literal clues and metaphorical representations of memory demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how art can carry meaning across generations.
Areas Where the Novel Struggles
Pacing and Structure Concerns
While the novel's non-linear structure serves its themes well, some sections feel more compelling than others. The contemporary portions occasionally lack the emotional intensity of the historical narrative, making Laura's present-day struggles feel somewhat pale by comparison. The relationship with Patrick, Laura's husband, never quite achieves the depth necessary to make their marital crisis feel as urgent as her family mystery.
Resolution and Closure
The novel's ending, while emotionally satisfying, may leave some readers wanting more concrete answers. Morris's decision to focus on emotional truth over factual closure serves the story's themes but might frustrate readers seeking more traditional mystery resolution.
Final Assessment: A Necessary and Beautiful Book
The Red House succeeds brilliantly as both historical fiction and family drama, offering readers an emotionally devastating yet ultimately redemptive journey through one of history's darker chapters. Morris has created a novel that honors both the specific suffering of Italian Jews during World War II and the universal experience of families fractured by trauma and silence.
The book's greatest strength lies in its refusal to offer easy answers or simple redemption. Instead, it presents the messy, complicated reality of how trauma passes between generations and how understanding our history—however painful—remains essential to healing.
March 31, 2025
I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review:
Laura’s mother disappeared 30 years ago, and now Laura has taken off to Italy, where her mother grew up during WW2, in search of answers.
This book was odd. I struggled with deciding on a star rating because I didn’t like it enough for a 3, and a 2 seemed harsh, but after I thought it over, 2 feels right. I typically love a WW2 story, but this one was not great. At times, it felt downright gross.
It is two different stories, Laura's and her mother's, brought together in one book, but the weaving is not as smooth as in other books that do the same type of time period jumping while telling a story. And, especially in the book's last quarter, some random chapters are thrown in that have no relevance to the story.
Having finished the book, I don’t think I would choose to read it if it were presented to me again.
Also, note that there are trigger warnings of suicide and underage prostitution.
Laura’s mother disappeared 30 years ago, and now Laura has taken off to Italy, where her mother grew up during WW2, in search of answers.
This book was odd. I struggled with deciding on a star rating because I didn’t like it enough for a 3, and a 2 seemed harsh, but after I thought it over, 2 feels right. I typically love a WW2 story, but this one was not great. At times, it felt downright gross.
It is two different stories, Laura's and her mother's, brought together in one book, but the weaving is not as smooth as in other books that do the same type of time period jumping while telling a story. And, especially in the book's last quarter, some random chapters are thrown in that have no relevance to the story.
Having finished the book, I don’t think I would choose to read it if it were presented to me again.
Also, note that there are trigger warnings of suicide and underage prostitution.
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