A House Beneath December

by Trevor Cimenski

Genres: Fiction, Poetry

132 pages, Paperback

Published September 8, 2025

Reviews

[I’m a book mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it. Relatable.
“Because knowing somebody wrong is really the same as not knowing them at all.”

[Jessica Harwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love letter to motherhood. Not romantic or sappy- just real, mundane motherhood. The author reminds us that to be loved is to be seen. And mothers - more often than not - often operate in spaces unseen, their only witness being the houses that keep them.

(I FELT the trash bins not making it out to the street)

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written story about motherhood in the Christmas season. Cimenski has a way of bringing beauty to the mundane and simple things in life.

"Knowing someone wrong is really the same as not knowing them at all."

"Please keep digging.
She's not lying, it's just knotted
Pull this string
Pull this string
Take a guess
Tell her she's not screwing it all up.
Because she can't ask you to say it."

[Chris Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trev Cimenski does a great job of capturing what it felt like to grow up relatively poor in the early 2000s. It really took me back to my childhood, with some of the metaphors and phrasing making me pause and reread them, just to take them in. Overall, it’s a good reminder not to take the little things in life for granted, and the message hits harder than I expected for a novella at 125 pages

[Michelle Heighway · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way we instantly become part of Kirby’s home as we climb inside it through the keyhole of a door — like stepping into a kind of Narnia. Yet this is a house that is personified and elegantly spoken about through many metaphors. This novella is a poetic masterpiece in places.

My mind was excited by a handful of phrases that made me think in unique ways throughout. I found this artist through Instagram and then TikTok and decided to buy his book. In the preface, the writer begins “with nothing much happens” — maybe this is a protective shield for the writer, so the reader doesn’t expect too much.

I loved the way Kirby and her little life unfold. It often made me yearn for my own children and family, even though the portrayal of her world wasn’t easy. She worked hard, and her love for her children ran deep. I was especially moved by lines like “She knew them in the dark,” “The sun woke her up with its hand on her cheek,” and “The light from the TV sang inside her eyes.” Another line that struck me was, “Seeing someone wrong is the same as not seeing them at all.”

The story follows Kirby as she works hard to make Christmas special for her kids — the question is, will she manage it, and will she get the gift she needs in time? Throughout, the writer focuses on the power of now — the real moments in a day, the small things that make a difference.

I really enjoyed this poetic novella and look forward to reading more from Trevor. Well done!

[nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been following Trev for a couple of years now, and have been inspired and awestruck by his poetry time after time. I received a gift voucher from my Grandmother this Christmas and decided to finally buy his books.
A House Beneath December….like Trev’s work, is tremendously simple yet effortlessly effective. He warns at the start of the book that hardly anything happens within the story, which is almost true, but the takeaway is so great nonetheless. It is a tale of family, and the sacrifices our parents make for us without us necessarily knowing. It’s often repeatable, making it all the more heartbreaking. It is a privilege to receive insight into anyone’s life, and it is intriguing to understand someone else’s life, and to notice reflections of your own. This book is so beautiful and poetic and packed with emotion and meaning. I read it mainly in two sittings, although it would have been doable in one. Ironically I read this in December, a few days after Christmas, so the busy holiday season got in the way of me completing this in one go. But how perfect of an occurrence to line up with the meaning of this book. I paired the second session of reading with Trev’s playlist, and the story spilled off the page like a film. I found myself in tears by the end, horrendously moved by the surprises at the end, feeling every emotion of the characters and I’m sure, of the author.
Thank you Trev always

[Kiran · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book about the mundaneness of motherhood and life in general. It took me a while to get through, simply because it became emotionally heavy at times. There were moments where I had to put it down mid-chapter because it hit a little too close to home, but I loved that about it.

The story felt incredibly real and deeply relatable. Even though I do not have children, I connected with the dynamics after seeing similar situations play out for friends and family. Whenever I was having a tough time, I could return to the characters and remind myself that they were struggling too, which made me feel less alone.

This book also made me reflect on how my parents raised me. I would have been a toddler when this story is set, so reading it felt like gaining a new perspective and an opportunity to appreciate them in a way I had not before. It is a really lovely thing to sit with and think about.

[Amber Bozarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Trev Cimenski's poetry for some time and he brings the same intimacy and gift for metaphors that he's known for to this story about a woman, her family, and the house that watches over them all.

Trev packs remarkable depth into this slim 125 pages. This is a story about motherhood, about being married, about longing for things that you don't have. It's about grief and all of the ways we miss the people who are gone. It's about bending over backwards to show love in both big and small ways, and trying to build traditions and memories that you hope will be passed on. It's about the houses that hold us and are silent witnesses to it all. It's a very human and very beautiful story. I look forward to reading more from him!

[Paula Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Trev Cemenski's poetry so I had to also jump on this novella and it came at the perfect time. Anyone who has experienced motherhood at holiday time will be touched by this beautifully written story. It is so real and relatable and I don't know a woman who hasn't cried in the bathroom. Trev is wonderful at finding the deeper meanings in the mundanity of a daily life and this novella is no exception.

[Kiana Heilfron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very real book told in a very real way. Some scenes are still stuck in my mind— the bar scene and walking back with the skateboard, the enchanting house, the beta fish. The writing is so vivid yet done in a completely organic way. The mundanity takes a striking form when told with Trev’s honest voice. Really lovely novella, excited to see more :)

[John Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any author who can make me (a 20 year old college kid) forget that I am not a lonely mother at Christmas should write many more books. I haven’t felt this much for a character in a long time. Maybe ever. Bravo Trev. Going to recommend this book to everyone I know to help it gain the readership it deserves.

[Grace O · Rating 5 out of 5]

funny, touching, normal, sublime, slow, and fast. line after line was a masterpiece in what books were made to do - show, not tell. one of those books where the plot is a backdrop to the focus, the words. cimenski uses metaphors you couldn't even dream up, that fit so perfectly, and give such a four-dimensional view of an ordinary human experience, without unnecessary romanticization.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cimenski has a glorious way with words. His visuals pin feelings to a corkboard mind and hold them there for us to examine more closely. I can understand exactly how Kirby thinks and moves through the world.
The story itself is beautiful and gut wrenching at times. Read it in a peaceful place you can focus.

[Emily Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lovely book gave me a gentle nudge to welcome the quiet moments in between the noise and to notice the beauty. He captures the love and the longings of motherhood in a rather unexpected way. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

[Jess W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful painting of life in the early 2000s, where each stroke is a seemingly mundane moment. The sound of snow under tires. A half-eaten omelet. It reminded me of the movie "A Christmas Story," but modernized and told from the mother's perspective.

[Roger Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

All we have in life are the small things. Cimenski does a wonderful job of bringing beauty to those small things in a season where our focus is being pulled in every direction. A reminder to stop, take a breath, and enjoy the things around you

[Phoenix Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the cozy setting paired with the romantically poetic descriptions and thought provoking writing style. I’ve loved Trev’s poems online and this book was not a letdown!

[Priya Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The sad part about doing your best is finding out what your best is.” Sweet holiday read and reminder of what makes a house a home.

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reminder to find wonder in the simplicity of ordinary day to day life with the echoes of thoughts of a mother's mind.

[Channah Mast · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a beautiful book. Such a comfort read <3