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My Mother's House
A literary thriller about the complex underbelly of the immigrant American dream and the dangerous ripple effect one person’s damages can have on the lives of others—told unexpectedly by a house that has held unspeakable horrors
When Lucien flees Haiti with his wife, Marie-Ange, and their three children to New York City’s South Ozone Park, he does so hoping for reinvention, wealth, and comfort. He buys a rundown house in a community that is quickly changing from an Italian enclave of mobsters to a haven for Haitian immigrants, and begins life anew. Lucien and Marie-Ange call their home La Kay—“my mother’s house”—and it becomes a place where their fellow immigrants can find peace, a good meal, and legal help. But as a severely emotionally damaged man emigrating from a country whose evils he knows to one whose evils he doesn’t, Lucien soon falls into his worst habits and impulses, with La Kay as the backdrop for his lasciviousness. What he can’t even begin to fathom is that the house is watching, passing judgment, and deciding to put an end to all the sins it has been made to hold. But only after it has set itself aflame will frightened whispers reveal Lucien’s ultimate evil.
At once an uncompromising look at the immigrant experience and an electrifying page-turner, My Mother’s House is a singular, unforgettable achievement.
When Lucien flees Haiti with his wife, Marie-Ange, and their three children to New York City’s South Ozone Park, he does so hoping for reinvention, wealth, and comfort. He buys a rundown house in a community that is quickly changing from an Italian enclave of mobsters to a haven for Haitian immigrants, and begins life anew. Lucien and Marie-Ange call their home La Kay—“my mother’s house”—and it becomes a place where their fellow immigrants can find peace, a good meal, and legal help. But as a severely emotionally damaged man emigrating from a country whose evils he knows to one whose evils he doesn’t, Lucien soon falls into his worst habits and impulses, with La Kay as the backdrop for his lasciviousness. What he can’t even begin to fathom is that the house is watching, passing judgment, and deciding to put an end to all the sins it has been made to hold. But only after it has set itself aflame will frightened whispers reveal Lucien’s ultimate evil.
At once an uncompromising look at the immigrant experience and an electrifying page-turner, My Mother’s House is a singular, unforgettable achievement.
304 pages, Paperback
First published May 12, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
April 8, 2020
"The House floated in and out of consciousness, waiting to die. It would no longer have to stomach wickedness, deviance, and injustice. It looked forward to Its demolition that would level and free It at long last."
My friends, this is a dark, unsettling, slow burning read. One of the more intriguing stories pitched as literary horror that I've read, My Mother's House is a powerful look at gentrification, racial/class injustice, and is at heart, a story about how the great American dream is only that to certain groups provided that level of privilege. Please do yourself a favor and go in as blind as possible, because the less you know the better, but it is fair to say that this book won't be for the faint of heart. CW for animal abuse and torture, violence, and all sorts of unsettling content in general. If you can read the dark and disturbing stuff, this is an important novel that will stay with me for quite some time.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
My friends, this is a dark, unsettling, slow burning read. One of the more intriguing stories pitched as literary horror that I've read, My Mother's House is a powerful look at gentrification, racial/class injustice, and is at heart, a story about how the great American dream is only that to certain groups provided that level of privilege. Please do yourself a favor and go in as blind as possible, because the less you know the better, but it is fair to say that this book won't be for the faint of heart. CW for animal abuse and torture, violence, and all sorts of unsettling content in general. If you can read the dark and disturbing stuff, this is an important novel that will stay with me for quite some time.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
April 24, 2020
This is one of the most vile and depressing books that I have ever read. It revolves around a Haitian family that immigrates to South Ozone Park, Queens New York in search of a better life for themselves. However the patriarch of this family, Lucien, is a monster of a man. The horrors that happen within the walls of this home is not for the faint of heart. The spin here is that one of the narrators is the home, La Kay, and the house is not happy and wants to destroy Lucien before he hurts anyone again.
My fellow animal lovers: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. There is sadistic abuse made to a cat and her kittens as well as a German Shepherd dog that left me completely nauseated. I understand why the author chose to do this as we see just how depraved Lucien is but my goodness it was imagery that I didn't want or need.
I can't deny the authors talent as her writing is impeccable but this book is just too depressing for me to recommend. 2 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My fellow animal lovers: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. There is sadistic abuse made to a cat and her kittens as well as a German Shepherd dog that left me completely nauseated. I understand why the author chose to do this as we see just how depraved Lucien is but my goodness it was imagery that I didn't want or need.
I can't deny the authors talent as her writing is impeccable but this book is just too depressing for me to recommend. 2 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 26, 2020
May 31, 2020 I thought about it and after speaking about the book, I think it is definitely a higher star rating. I do feel the author did a great job especially as a debut novel.
The whole time I was reading this book I was thinking “A wah gwan yasso?!
When I finished reading the book my first thought was A weh di rass mi just read?!
I don’t even know where to start with this review because I am so confused and conflicted… here goes!
The story of My Mother’s House opens with a house in New York City South Ozone Park committing suicide by burning itself down (yes, you read right). We hear from the House the reason it decided to burn itself down and why this drastic measure needed to be taken. The story continues and we hear from the House as it gives us the history of the community, how it was gentrified, and an intimate look into the lives of the persons who lives/lived inside them. The House tells us of the horrors that happened under it’s roof and why it decided its best to burn itself to the ground.
Lucien is the current owner of the House. He is originally from Haiti but had to flee because he got tangled up with the General’s daughter Marie-Ange. The General’s entire family was assassinated but Lucien was able to save and hide Marie-Ange until his parents in America sent for him. After moving and settling in New York City, Lucien is determined to make a life for himself and provide for his family which includes his three daughters. Hoping to recreate and build a community like in Haiti, Lucien buys an old rundown house where he invites Haitians who are new to NYC to come over. Lucien and Marie-Ange offers these persons who are new to the US advice on how to assimilate, and a nice home cooked Haitian meal.
Through an illness Marie-Ange dies and the house is not what it used to be, people no longer come around like they use to. Lucien starts “dating” the nurse that took care of his wife but he can’t say he loves her. Lucien’s love is toxic, he is an emotionally damaged man with heinous habits and impulses. For over two decades he’s been feeding his evil desires and the House is about to make it known to the world.
This is just a peep into what is happening in this book because I don’t want to give away spoilers. The book explores Immigration, Abuse, Gentrification, Grief, Violence, Evil and Identity. It takes us from Haiti to a community in NYC and it is unflinching in its exploration of what life is like for an Immigrant living in the US.
Honestly, I wanted to love this story. Once I heard it was written by a Woman from Caribbean Heritage and it explores Immigration, I was sold! I never expected to be confused by what is happening and WHY it is happening. I felt the characters were underdeveloped; it was like I was looking at them through a very thick mirror. I wanted to know more about the daughters, more about Marie-Ange’s and why she decided to stay. I also was not sold about the bit on the House not knowing everything happening inside of it- that did not make sense. I also felt there were parts what we very vague that need clarification or a lot of explanation. I felt some parts were unnecessarily cruel for no reason…. I just…
You have to have a STRONG stomach and an insane amount of imagination to enjoy this one.
Trigger warning: Rape. Animal Abuse/Murder.
The whole time I was reading this book I was thinking “A wah gwan yasso?!
When I finished reading the book my first thought was A weh di rass mi just read?!
I don’t even know where to start with this review because I am so confused and conflicted… here goes!
The story of My Mother’s House opens with a house in New York City South Ozone Park committing suicide by burning itself down (yes, you read right). We hear from the House the reason it decided to burn itself down and why this drastic measure needed to be taken. The story continues and we hear from the House as it gives us the history of the community, how it was gentrified, and an intimate look into the lives of the persons who lives/lived inside them. The House tells us of the horrors that happened under it’s roof and why it decided its best to burn itself to the ground.
Lucien is the current owner of the House. He is originally from Haiti but had to flee because he got tangled up with the General’s daughter Marie-Ange. The General’s entire family was assassinated but Lucien was able to save and hide Marie-Ange until his parents in America sent for him. After moving and settling in New York City, Lucien is determined to make a life for himself and provide for his family which includes his three daughters. Hoping to recreate and build a community like in Haiti, Lucien buys an old rundown house where he invites Haitians who are new to NYC to come over. Lucien and Marie-Ange offers these persons who are new to the US advice on how to assimilate, and a nice home cooked Haitian meal.
Through an illness Marie-Ange dies and the house is not what it used to be, people no longer come around like they use to. Lucien starts “dating” the nurse that took care of his wife but he can’t say he loves her. Lucien’s love is toxic, he is an emotionally damaged man with heinous habits and impulses. For over two decades he’s been feeding his evil desires and the House is about to make it known to the world.
This is just a peep into what is happening in this book because I don’t want to give away spoilers. The book explores Immigration, Abuse, Gentrification, Grief, Violence, Evil and Identity. It takes us from Haiti to a community in NYC and it is unflinching in its exploration of what life is like for an Immigrant living in the US.
Honestly, I wanted to love this story. Once I heard it was written by a Woman from Caribbean Heritage and it explores Immigration, I was sold! I never expected to be confused by what is happening and WHY it is happening. I felt the characters were underdeveloped; it was like I was looking at them through a very thick mirror. I wanted to know more about the daughters, more about Marie-Ange’s and why she decided to stay. I also was not sold about the bit on the House not knowing everything happening inside of it- that did not make sense. I also felt there were parts what we very vague that need clarification or a lot of explanation. I felt some parts were unnecessarily cruel for no reason…. I just…
You have to have a STRONG stomach and an insane amount of imagination to enjoy this one.
Trigger warning: Rape. Animal Abuse/Murder.
August 27, 2020
The year seems to be riddled with novels that are brilliant conceptually, but whose execution falls short of its promise. Such is the case with My Mother’s House. My thanks go to Net Galley and Bloomsbury for the review copy.
The story is told in the third person omniscient, and the most interesting character by far is the house itself. The house has had it with its inhabitants, particularly with protagonist Lucien, a man that’s evil and demented from the top of his pointy head down to the toes of his nasty loafers. Think of the worst thing one human being can do to another, and whatever you’ve come up with, Lucien has done it.
Our rotten old man is an immigrant, a resident of a mostly Caribbean neighborhood in Queens, New York. He brought with him the wife—nearly a child-bride—that he had set his cap for early on, for she is a descendant of the Duvalier family that ruled Haiti ruthlessly for decades. Once he has married her and moved her, however, he abuses her in much the same way he does every other female in his life, including the daughters they have together.
Do I need to tell you there are triggers all over this thing?
The house can’t take it anymore, all of the ugly within its walls. It decides that the only way to get rid of this bastard is to go down with him, and it sets itself ablaze.
One of the three stars is for this aspect of it, the animation of the house. This is where the story begins, with the house’s thoughts and actions, and I sigh contentedly, sure I am in possession of a great novel.
Alas, not so much.
I love a good horror story, but what makes such a story work is when there is an underdog to cheer for, or a victim to be rescued. This is part of Stephen King’s magic; not only does he provide visceral, original bad guys and monsters, but also some ordinary person that sees what is going on and tries to stop it. Whoever his good guy is, he develops the living heck out of them, and I feel as if I would know them on the street.
In contrast, Momplaisir gives me no possible good outcome; the only hope we have comes from the defeat and death of Lucien. That’s not enough to keep me turning the horrible pages of horrible deeds. I don’t just want to see the bad guy lose; I need a good character that might, against impossible odds, win.
Character development is also lacking. Although I learn about Lucien’s early life and the trauma that he’s endured, and which we know is often part of what warps a person, I never see him change internally. He is static all the way through, and since he’s the only important character, apart from the house, I feel cheated. His distinguishing characteristic is the need to count, because “I am nothing unless I count.” So all the way through, we hear him enumerating one thing after another, and to be honest, this device, though original, leaves me cold, and eventually it just becomes redundant. MAD Magazine—the original, from the 1960s and 1970s—would have had a field day here.
Unable to push myself all the way through the text, I seek out an audio book from Seattle Bibliocommons, and just to top all of it off, I dislike the reader intensely. The over-the-top dramatic voice would work in very small, shocking increments, but instead it is the main voice used, and by the end I just wanted to tell it to shut up. (Full disclosure: I actually did, not that anyone was there to hear it.)
In the end, I am left with a tremendously clever premise, a fantastic book cover, and then a whole lot of nothing. How dare the publicist or whoever wrote the teaser compare this work to those of Tana French and Jesmyn Ward? For shame!
You can buy this book now, or you can take that same exact amount of money and burn it in the fireplace. Same thing, either way. Or you can do the smart thing, and go find another book by someone else.
The story is told in the third person omniscient, and the most interesting character by far is the house itself. The house has had it with its inhabitants, particularly with protagonist Lucien, a man that’s evil and demented from the top of his pointy head down to the toes of his nasty loafers. Think of the worst thing one human being can do to another, and whatever you’ve come up with, Lucien has done it.
Our rotten old man is an immigrant, a resident of a mostly Caribbean neighborhood in Queens, New York. He brought with him the wife—nearly a child-bride—that he had set his cap for early on, for she is a descendant of the Duvalier family that ruled Haiti ruthlessly for decades. Once he has married her and moved her, however, he abuses her in much the same way he does every other female in his life, including the daughters they have together.
Do I need to tell you there are triggers all over this thing?
The house can’t take it anymore, all of the ugly within its walls. It decides that the only way to get rid of this bastard is to go down with him, and it sets itself ablaze.
One of the three stars is for this aspect of it, the animation of the house. This is where the story begins, with the house’s thoughts and actions, and I sigh contentedly, sure I am in possession of a great novel.
Alas, not so much.
I love a good horror story, but what makes such a story work is when there is an underdog to cheer for, or a victim to be rescued. This is part of Stephen King’s magic; not only does he provide visceral, original bad guys and monsters, but also some ordinary person that sees what is going on and tries to stop it. Whoever his good guy is, he develops the living heck out of them, and I feel as if I would know them on the street.
In contrast, Momplaisir gives me no possible good outcome; the only hope we have comes from the defeat and death of Lucien. That’s not enough to keep me turning the horrible pages of horrible deeds. I don’t just want to see the bad guy lose; I need a good character that might, against impossible odds, win.
Character development is also lacking. Although I learn about Lucien’s early life and the trauma that he’s endured, and which we know is often part of what warps a person, I never see him change internally. He is static all the way through, and since he’s the only important character, apart from the house, I feel cheated. His distinguishing characteristic is the need to count, because “I am nothing unless I count.” So all the way through, we hear him enumerating one thing after another, and to be honest, this device, though original, leaves me cold, and eventually it just becomes redundant. MAD Magazine—the original, from the 1960s and 1970s—would have had a field day here.
Unable to push myself all the way through the text, I seek out an audio book from Seattle Bibliocommons, and just to top all of it off, I dislike the reader intensely. The over-the-top dramatic voice would work in very small, shocking increments, but instead it is the main voice used, and by the end I just wanted to tell it to shut up. (Full disclosure: I actually did, not that anyone was there to hear it.)
In the end, I am left with a tremendously clever premise, a fantastic book cover, and then a whole lot of nothing. How dare the publicist or whoever wrote the teaser compare this work to those of Tana French and Jesmyn Ward? For shame!
You can buy this book now, or you can take that same exact amount of money and burn it in the fireplace. Same thing, either way. Or you can do the smart thing, and go find another book by someone else.
September 4, 2019
Warning: animal torture.
January 24, 2021
Whenever I invoke the term magical realism in my reviews, there is always a chance that I am entirely off the stylistic mark. However, there is both magic and realism within the pages of My Mother’s House. When Francesca Momplaisir gives us magic, it is absolutely delightful. And when she gives us realism, it is absolutely brutal. This a novel that is both highly original, but brings Toni Morrison to mind. Also, the depictions of suffering and malevolence gives me a strong Hanya Yanagihara vibe. Momplaisir is in a class of her own for writing La Kay into existence. La Kay is an intelligent, empathetic, multilingual house that drives the plot forward and brings so much joy to a bleak narrative. It knows things because it reads the newspaper over the shoulder of its inhabitants! I just very much adore a house with a mind and emotions of its own (see also: the 1999 Disney classic, Smart House).
Other than the overall structure of the novel, Momplaisir is tackling a lot. This is a novel about the experience of immigrants (immigrants from Haiti, specifically), but it seems to be in conversation with past and current events and concepts: the Trump administration, Ariel Castro and the kidnappings of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus, the story of Lorena Bobbitt, the killings of Amadou Diallo and Botham Jean, the relationship between American Black people and Black people who move to the U.S. from elsewhere, trauma and its various possible effects, the high rates of missing Black women and girls that are neither frequently reported on nor solved, the concept of victimhood, the “mask of sanity” and the banality of evil, and a whole bunch of other things that I cannot think of at the moment and others that I may not have even registered.
This is a book that contains quite a bit of violence and disturbing content, so it’s one that I would not recommend haphazardly. That being said, I do think it is one hell of a novel that depicts one hell of a reckoning.
Other than the overall structure of the novel, Momplaisir is tackling a lot. This is a novel about the experience of immigrants (immigrants from Haiti, specifically), but it seems to be in conversation with past and current events and concepts: the Trump administration, Ariel Castro and the kidnappings of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus, the story of Lorena Bobbitt, the killings of Amadou Diallo and Botham Jean, the relationship between American Black people and Black people who move to the U.S. from elsewhere, trauma and its various possible effects, the high rates of missing Black women and girls that are neither frequently reported on nor solved, the concept of victimhood, the “mask of sanity” and the banality of evil, and a whole bunch of other things that I cannot think of at the moment and others that I may not have even registered.
This is a book that contains quite a bit of violence and disturbing content, so it’s one that I would not recommend haphazardly. That being said, I do think it is one hell of a novel that depicts one hell of a reckoning.
July 7, 2021
This entire work is framed from the perspective of the house in a way that is intentional, intensively labored, and clearly bedrock to the author, but it didn't really do anything for me. I actually found the opening off-putting and was thinking that I wouldn't like the book. But this is a work of greatness in many ways (a 4.5 really) and the story checked a lot of my boxes. I am horrified and fascinated by knowing I pass houses with unspeakable acts occurring as I pass them (thanks a lot "Unbreakable"). And I think of that when stories emerge of women held and tortured in captivity for decades by the most general population type men. So those elements are here and then there is the weaving in of Haiti and the black immigrant experience in America among and not among black Americans and others and just...so much more. The women are the true heroines, but their captor is centered in the majority of the story or at least for significant chunks of it. She hands it over more and more to the women - quite intentional I'm sure. This is a piece of genre-bending literature that even as I finish it has me wanting to figure it out more. It's brutal, but brutal like "The Darkest Child", "Bastard Out of Carolina" or "The Bluest Eye" - brutal with a fuckin' purpose. It's insightful as hell and Momplaisir does a skillful job of making you fully understand a despicable main character withOUT letting this mofoe off the hook - true women's work really. This is such a feminist story and nightmare and so many things beyond that. There are also ways that she delves into diasporic conversations and truths and so many broader topics that make this a kind of ethnographic experience of black american history and current reality. It's that too - newly published and SUPER current, which during this point in history and my life makes reading this not so much an escape as a new route to where I'm already headed. So I read through the personified house and went with it because I wanted to know not just what happened, but how things came to be. That was what the story was about more than anything. Have read nothing else like it. Probably never will - unless I reread it down the line.
April 30, 2020
This is the story of a house's death. La Kay is a middle class house surrounded by other middle class houses that were built for returning GIs on an area near JFK Airport. South Ozone Park became a neighborhood of immigrants, the latest ones being from the Caribbean. Lucien and his wife buy the house and raise their three daughters there, while operating as an informal gathering place for new Haitian arrivals to find help getting settled, a card game and a taste of home. But Lucien's friendly demeanor hides an inner rot. He's done terrible things. Things the house finds unendurable and which lead it to decide to burn itself down in order to stop him. But Lucien, now an elderly man in poor health, a widower estranged from his children, has one more secret he's kept hidden from the house. And it's far worse than all of the other things he's done.
This is an impossible book to pigeon-hole. It's horror, sure. It's also a novel about immigrants struggling to make lives for themselves and those that prey on them. There's a grim realism here, but also a supernatural element that interact uneasily with each other. There are tonal shifts between the chapters, the ones centering Lucian have a black humor with a touch of slapstick that contrasts with the grim realism of another character's sections, which in turn are jarringly different than the magic realism of the sentient house.
Momplaisir is a talented writer, one who can evoke strong emotions or create a vivid image in very few words. This skill made this novel much harder to read than had her writing been just serviceable. The author is never overly graphic, nor does she linger on the act of harming being done. But she does dig into the emotions and harm being experienced by the victims and it makes for hard reading. It also made it difficult to appreciate Lucien's chapters or to enter in to what the house is experiencing. It's as though three very different novels about the same events were mashed together. Each element on its own is very good, but they lose something as a group.
This is an impossible book to pigeon-hole. It's horror, sure. It's also a novel about immigrants struggling to make lives for themselves and those that prey on them. There's a grim realism here, but also a supernatural element that interact uneasily with each other. There are tonal shifts between the chapters, the ones centering Lucian have a black humor with a touch of slapstick that contrasts with the grim realism of another character's sections, which in turn are jarringly different than the magic realism of the sentient house.
Momplaisir is a talented writer, one who can evoke strong emotions or create a vivid image in very few words. This skill made this novel much harder to read than had her writing been just serviceable. The author is never overly graphic, nor does she linger on the act of harming being done. But she does dig into the emotions and harm being experienced by the victims and it makes for hard reading. It also made it difficult to appreciate Lucien's chapters or to enter in to what the house is experiencing. It's as though three very different novels about the same events were mashed together. Each element on its own is very good, but they lose something as a group.
June 10, 2020
Let me tell you what I liked about My Mother’s House. ….Not much.
First of all, fuck that self-righteous house. You saw. You chose to ignore until you didn’t. And why oh why must It refer to itself in third person the whole story? To annoy the reader? Mission successful. This POV really did nothing to enhance the story.
Next, Lucien. What a piece of work. Like legitimately this author wrote an incredibly vile character. I am nothing. was overused and had no meaning to me by the end. First, she really didn’t explain anything important until the end. So I’ve repeatedly read I am nothing. with no explanation. Which in my opinion was a big mistake. By the time I learned why he feels this way, my hate and disgust have over powered anything for this character. And that phrase legitimately pissed me off by the end. Her timing on the explanation could have changed my view. Instead, I was infuriated by the author at that point in time trying to humanize Lucien. Don’t humanize the motherfucker, too late, he ain’t one. Also, Lucien, my dude, Don’t worry. You are something. You are all of the words that describe the scummiest, vilest vermin that has ever walked on this Earth. And when this man goes on and on about what he thinks he deserves…Lord help me. I honestly saw fucking red. The author got me going there. That was probably the hardest chapter to read in my opinion even with animals cruelty and sexual abuse. How he views himself and what he thinks he has earned or at very least bought…
Another big issue. She had a few characters, but I literally didn’t connect or feel anything for any of them. Which is insane considering what is happening in this story. I should feel something. But she provided so little detail about all of them and spread out their individual story entirely too far between. Not really impressed with how the characters were introduced or how we learned about their stories. Honestly, I hated the way the story was told. It really did not work for me at all. I got the tail end of what has been an incredibly wild life. All of the misdeeds have been done. And filling us in little by little was ineffective for connecting with the story. She drew it out too long. Slow burning your readers into a readers death isn’t good for anyone. I hate a book where I count down the pages until the end. Reading isn’t a chore, but this felt like a hefty one.
Lastly, I think the vile actions and activities going on make it hard to focus on the immigrant experience. The weight of the actions and activities in the story make the focus on racial injustices and disparities faced by minorities in this country blur at times. I almost wish the author would have chose one focus or another. Either focus on the immigrant experience, Haiti, and the culture. Or write a slow burn horror like novel.
I am curious to see how other readers received this story.
Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for the read!
First of all, fuck that self-righteous house. You saw. You chose to ignore until you didn’t. And why oh why must It refer to itself in third person the whole story? To annoy the reader? Mission successful. This POV really did nothing to enhance the story.
Next, Lucien. What a piece of work. Like legitimately this author wrote an incredibly vile character. I am nothing. was overused and had no meaning to me by the end. First, she really didn’t explain anything important until the end. So I’ve repeatedly read I am nothing. with no explanation. Which in my opinion was a big mistake. By the time I learned why he feels this way, my hate and disgust have over powered anything for this character. And that phrase legitimately pissed me off by the end. Her timing on the explanation could have changed my view. Instead, I was infuriated by the author at that point in time trying to humanize Lucien. Don’t humanize the motherfucker, too late, he ain’t one. Also, Lucien, my dude, Don’t worry. You are something. You are all of the words that describe the scummiest, vilest vermin that has ever walked on this Earth. And when this man goes on and on about what he thinks he deserves…Lord help me. I honestly saw fucking red. The author got me going there. That was probably the hardest chapter to read in my opinion even with animals cruelty and sexual abuse. How he views himself and what he thinks he has earned or at very least bought…
Another big issue. She had a few characters, but I literally didn’t connect or feel anything for any of them. Which is insane considering what is happening in this story. I should feel something. But she provided so little detail about all of them and spread out their individual story entirely too far between. Not really impressed with how the characters were introduced or how we learned about their stories. Honestly, I hated the way the story was told. It really did not work for me at all. I got the tail end of what has been an incredibly wild life. All of the misdeeds have been done. And filling us in little by little was ineffective for connecting with the story. She drew it out too long. Slow burning your readers into a readers death isn’t good for anyone. I hate a book where I count down the pages until the end. Reading isn’t a chore, but this felt like a hefty one.
Lastly, I think the vile actions and activities going on make it hard to focus on the immigrant experience. The weight of the actions and activities in the story make the focus on racial injustices and disparities faced by minorities in this country blur at times. I almost wish the author would have chose one focus or another. Either focus on the immigrant experience, Haiti, and the culture. Or write a slow burn horror like novel.
I am curious to see how other readers received this story.
Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for the read!
December 29, 2019
My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir was an excellent reminder to me that a book can talk about many issues that I care deeply about, and still be a book that I didn’t particularly like. About a house (a sentient house) that burns itself down in rage and despair at housing a terrible man, the house has a sort of “come to Jesus moment” about the dark secrets living in the basement and it’s own role in passively allowing terrible crimes to take place in it’s lower level (I know). Here’s the good: this book looks at the ways in which women are marginalized in social unrest and migration, this book examines societal indifference to Black women and their suffering, and this book looks at how this suffering comes from traumatized families, from patriarchy, and from structures and systems that capitalize on and also hate the Black female body. But. There is an animate house. Who is aware enough to burn itself down but not aware enough to know what’s happening inside of it’s walls. And also just a house with thoughts and feelings and the ability to communicate with other (inexplicably judgemental) houses and a soul that transcends it’s houseness. I just... Also, overall, I found the writing to be kind of disjointed and indirect at times and super intense at others, and kind of just never really said what it was saying. I found some characterization to be blurry, and all of them I completely developed - I never really knew anyone. I guess with this book I felt that the content was there, but the delivery was not my thing. Thank you @netgalley for the ARC, opinions are my own.
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November 11, 2020My Mother's House is an utterly wild ride, a literary thriller exploring the dark side of immigration, featuring one of the most despicable characters I've ever come across: Lucien. Lucien and his younger wife Marie-Ange have fled Haiti and settled in South Ozone Park, New York. Their house, La Kay, becomes a spot for newly arrived immigrants to enjoy some home-cooked Haitian food and receive legal advice. But La Kay is also the scene of unspeakable horrors, driven by Lucien's lascivious urges.
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The most common critique I've seen of this book is that not much explanation is given as to why Lucien is the way that he is, and I get that. Some people are just evil I guess, and honestly no amount of backstory could make the reader feel sympathetic to Lucien! Some of the story is told from his perspective, and those were admittedly my least favourite parts. It felt a little disjointed at times, as listening to it I couldn't work out if there was a pattern to the alternating chapters and also flashbacks to Lucien's life in Haiti.
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But one of the other narrators is La Kay itself - the house! I liked this technique, it's not every day you get to hear a story from the POV of a house! I found it interesting that La Kay was unaware of certain parts of itself - it sort of reminded me of the way people can repress certain memories. The third perspective is that of Sol, a young woman whose part in the story I shall not reveal. But it's through her that Momplaisir delivers more social commentary surrounding immigration in the US. She explores it elsewhere too, especially the tensions between Black immigrants and American-born Black folk.
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I liked the use of the three narrators on audio, they were very theatrical! I felt more like I was watching a movie play out. I've listened to a few books narrated by Dion Graham now and he's excellent as the voice of La Kay.
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I used to read a fair amount of grisly crime thrillers pre-bookstagram, and I'd say that this book is darker than many of those! So I wouldn't recommend it universally as it's a lot to handle. I included content warnings on my review over at @the.storygraph!
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The most common critique I've seen of this book is that not much explanation is given as to why Lucien is the way that he is, and I get that. Some people are just evil I guess, and honestly no amount of backstory could make the reader feel sympathetic to Lucien! Some of the story is told from his perspective, and those were admittedly my least favourite parts. It felt a little disjointed at times, as listening to it I couldn't work out if there was a pattern to the alternating chapters and also flashbacks to Lucien's life in Haiti.
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But one of the other narrators is La Kay itself - the house! I liked this technique, it's not every day you get to hear a story from the POV of a house! I found it interesting that La Kay was unaware of certain parts of itself - it sort of reminded me of the way people can repress certain memories. The third perspective is that of Sol, a young woman whose part in the story I shall not reveal. But it's through her that Momplaisir delivers more social commentary surrounding immigration in the US. She explores it elsewhere too, especially the tensions between Black immigrants and American-born Black folk.
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I liked the use of the three narrators on audio, they were very theatrical! I felt more like I was watching a movie play out. I've listened to a few books narrated by Dion Graham now and he's excellent as the voice of La Kay.
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I used to read a fair amount of grisly crime thrillers pre-bookstagram, and I'd say that this book is darker than many of those! So I wouldn't recommend it universally as it's a lot to handle. I included content warnings on my review over at @the.storygraph!
October 15, 2021
2.5/5
I don't know. There are a lot of words, and scenes, and atrocities, but there's no real...story? It all feels like commentary on immigration, politics, culture, the treatment of women, but it's given as one big history lesson told through a rapid fire plot.
I don't understand the narrative choices for the POVs because everyone knows more about each other and what's happening than they should, so it's all confusing. There are a lot of words and scenes, but the characters are flat and their motivations are unclear, especially Lucien's wife. Most of the important women characters are reduced to Lucien's thoughts.
Also, we're they talking about R. Kelly?! This one did the most.
I don't know. There are a lot of words, and scenes, and atrocities, but there's no real...story? It all feels like commentary on immigration, politics, culture, the treatment of women, but it's given as one big history lesson told through a rapid fire plot.
I don't understand the narrative choices for the POVs because everyone knows more about each other and what's happening than they should, so it's all confusing. There are a lot of words and scenes, but the characters are flat and their motivations are unclear, especially Lucien's wife. Most of the important women characters are reduced to Lucien's thoughts.
Also, we're they talking about R. Kelly?! This one did the most.
July 24, 2025
I strugggllllled with this one and I’m not even sure why. 😕 I kept going because I wanted to know how it ended but 😮💨 what a struggle to get there.
April 10, 2020
Immensely depressing with moments of really beautiful writing. Momplaisir writes dense, beautiful prose about horror (physical, sexual, and psychological), though at times I found it difficult to follow... and at times I just didn't WANT to follow it. I don't mind a book centered around a really unlikeable person-- and hoo boy, this guy's a doozy!-- but there was a weird balance here between the intimacy of how Lucien is described and how little we actually come to know Sol. By far, my favorite chapters were the La Kay chapters. Brilliant concept and great execution there. Would have to be a very specific recommend, though.
November 2, 2019
This is so well written, but it’s such a tough read. It follows the last days of a real monster of a man, whose awfulness is so bad that his very house can stand it no more and decides to burn itself down.
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July 24, 2022I did not finish this book. And therefore, I can not rate it. Beyond that, I don't know how I'd rate it.
I thought it was one of the most creative books I have ever read, and yet, the chapters (were at times) repetitive, and the pacing was choppy.
Nonetheless, I encourage others to read this book because of the storyline, and I hope to read more of Francesa Momplaisir's books in the future.
The opening of this book is my favorite, and the opening alone deserves 5 stars.
I thought it was one of the most creative books I have ever read, and yet, the chapters (were at times) repetitive, and the pacing was choppy.
Nonetheless, I encourage others to read this book because of the storyline, and I hope to read more of Francesa Momplaisir's books in the future.
The opening of this book is my favorite, and the opening alone deserves 5 stars.
May 31, 2025
you really gotta buy into the idea that the house is alive. i failed to do that and therefore thought it was slightly dumb.
April 27, 2022
This novel is a crafty attempt to pass Sex & Violence for a “political novel” about the bloody history of Haiti and the lives of migrants in the US. A reader (correctly) warned other readers about scenes of animals being tortured and added that possibly they were meant to “show how evil” the protagonist is. No, that’s not the reason. The protagonist has been a sadist since a young age and he hasn’t spared human beings, women in particular. But readers have become anesthetized to violence now that one has only to pick up a mainstream best selling thriller to find detailed scenes of rape and torture. But the line is drawn at the torture of pets, so crossing this line was a deliberate choice on the part of the author to make her novel “more extreme”. But the problem with the novel is not (only?) the gratuitous scenes of rape and violence: it lacks the very basic features of a “good story”. Characterisation is all over the place and so are plotholes. What can we say about the Psychology 101 “explanation” for the protagonist’s mental problems? (oh yes, he had no “proper family” and, oh yes yes he witnessed his auntie having sex with her clients etc etc) Talking of characterization, the author attempted a “masterstroke”: she made the house one of the narrators of the story. Unfortunately, the house is as dull and unobservant as its human counterparts and very conveniently doesn’t “notice” that the protagonist is keeping women captive in the basement (although it does describe what happens in other rooms). Last but not least, it is very difficult to understand how on earth the captive women who were kept in the safe room for years had never attempted to overcome their captor. It doesn’t make any sense.
July 8, 2020
I'm still processing this, so it's a bit difficult to review. But I don't think waiting will help me write anything more articulate than what I can manage now, in the thick of my emotions. AllI can say is that this book is dark, twisted, howling with rage and unlike anything I've ever read before. It will change me--I can already feel it--and while it was one of the hardest books I've ever gotten through, I'm glad I persisted, because it helped me understand a facet of the immigrant experience I'd never explored.
I'm a privileged white woman from an area of North America that is commonly upheld as a beacon for those seeking freedom and prosperity. Well-read as I am, I'm very used to the polished, appealing picture of the young, hopeful family of soon-to-be entrepreneurs, finding their feet in a strange but welcoming land. Maybe things get a little scrappy, a little scary, but ultimately, the immigration story is usually portrayed as one of optimism and opportunity, of a new and better life.
There is so much more to it, so much ugliness and peril, so many broken systems that need to be recognized and fixed. There are so many conversations yet to be had about the fairytales we tell ourselves to keep away the unease and quiet the hard questions. I believe stories like "My Mother's House" are blessings, uncomfortable as they may make us. They are invitations for us to confront our denial and our deliberate ignorance.
Besides that, the writing is gorgeous and inventive, and I can't wait to discover more by this author.
I'm a privileged white woman from an area of North America that is commonly upheld as a beacon for those seeking freedom and prosperity. Well-read as I am, I'm very used to the polished, appealing picture of the young, hopeful family of soon-to-be entrepreneurs, finding their feet in a strange but welcoming land. Maybe things get a little scrappy, a little scary, but ultimately, the immigration story is usually portrayed as one of optimism and opportunity, of a new and better life.
There is so much more to it, so much ugliness and peril, so many broken systems that need to be recognized and fixed. There are so many conversations yet to be had about the fairytales we tell ourselves to keep away the unease and quiet the hard questions. I believe stories like "My Mother's House" are blessings, uncomfortable as they may make us. They are invitations for us to confront our denial and our deliberate ignorance.
Besides that, the writing is gorgeous and inventive, and I can't wait to discover more by this author.
April 26, 2020
My Mother's House by Francesca Momplaisir is described as a "literary thriller about the complex underbelly of the immigrant American dream and the dangerous ripple effect one person's damages can have on the lives of others - told unexpectedly by a house that has held unspeakable horrors."
Wow - When I saw that description I knew I wanted to request a copy.
I'll admit, the first 20% or so of this book, I wasn't sure what I was getting into (a book where the house acts as one of the narrators? Interesting...), and I debated putting it down. BUT, I implore you - if you start this book, you have to make it to 25% for things to take a DARK turn that'll hook you til the end. I'm not going to give anything about the plot away other than, stick with it til at least up to this point.
This one ultimately was a little too disturbing for me to say I "enjoyed" it, but it's a story that will stick with me for a long time. If you like character-drive, slow burn, psychological thrillers, check this one out.
TW: Graphic depictions of abuse of all sorts. Message me if you'd like more details.
Thank you AA Knopf and Netgalley for the chance to review this early.
Wow - When I saw that description I knew I wanted to request a copy.
I'll admit, the first 20% or so of this book, I wasn't sure what I was getting into (a book where the house acts as one of the narrators? Interesting...), and I debated putting it down. BUT, I implore you - if you start this book, you have to make it to 25% for things to take a DARK turn that'll hook you til the end. I'm not going to give anything about the plot away other than, stick with it til at least up to this point.
This one ultimately was a little too disturbing for me to say I "enjoyed" it, but it's a story that will stick with me for a long time. If you like character-drive, slow burn, psychological thrillers, check this one out.
TW: Graphic depictions of abuse of all sorts. Message me if you'd like more details.
Thank you AA Knopf and Netgalley for the chance to review this early.
June 21, 2020
There are times that I’m like...WTH did I just read?
The house, along with Lucien (a Haitian immigrant), are characters in this book.
You’re a third into the book when you figure out that Lucien is a sick 🤬 and is holding FIVE PEOPLE HOSTAGE. INCLUDING A CHILD. And he’s a murderer, a rapist, kidnapper, stalker and pervert. One of the hostages is also a main character. And they way he treated his wife, daughters and girlfriend (after the wife dies) was trash.
And the house burns itself down to free the hostages.
I know that people are highlighting the animal abuse in their reviews, but Lucien HELD FIVE PEOPLE AGAINST THEIR WILL.
The end felt unresolved and I think the author was suppose to make me feel bad for Lucien. HELL TO THE NAW. The book was suppose to highlight immigration and culture, but it got overlapped by the storyline.
The only good thing about this book was it was well written. But it dragged. Besides that, NAH.
The house, along with Lucien (a Haitian immigrant), are characters in this book.
You’re a third into the book when you figure out that Lucien is a sick 🤬 and is holding FIVE PEOPLE HOSTAGE. INCLUDING A CHILD. And he’s a murderer, a rapist, kidnapper, stalker and pervert. One of the hostages is also a main character. And they way he treated his wife, daughters and girlfriend (after the wife dies) was trash.
And the house burns itself down to free the hostages.
I know that people are highlighting the animal abuse in their reviews, but Lucien HELD FIVE PEOPLE AGAINST THEIR WILL.
The end felt unresolved and I think the author was suppose to make me feel bad for Lucien. HELL TO THE NAW. The book was suppose to highlight immigration and culture, but it got overlapped by the storyline.
The only good thing about this book was it was well written. But it dragged. Besides that, NAH.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2020
I was excited to read this book because I love Haitian culture. Unfortunately, despite strong and colorful writing, this story just did not hold my interest. It was intriguing to me, although a bit fantastical, that the house itself is a character with feelings. That said, I didn't find the characters likable or compelling and found myself feeling depressed about the abuse the main character had inflicted and gotten away with for years. There is a lot of trauma and it took too long to move toward redemption.
November 22, 2019
This book started out kind of confusing and only mildly disturbing but becomes more and more horrifying as bit by bit the whole story is revealed from multiple viewpoints--including the viewpoint of the house who can no longer stand what is happening under its roof. It's a tough read because of the content, but the writing and flow is really well done that you can't help but read on. I hope to read more from this author!
May 26, 2020
This was more of a 3.5 star read, but what an interesting way to tell a story. More thoughts to come. Tons of triggers here. You have been warned.
July 12, 2025
This is a difficult book to review. The concept is fantastic and I was utterly gripped reading it but it does have a few key issues that are difficult to overlook (it’s also a book that needs to be read without too much idea of how the plot is going to develop). Mainly it doesn’t feel as if I really got to know any of the characters particularly well which for me limited some of the impact of the story both because I lacked sufficient empathy for them but also because I didn’t quite get to grasp some of the characters’ motivations or behaviours - although what we do learn about them is refreshingly complex. Also the device of the house as a sentient narrator was rather muddled as its ‘powers’ seemed to alter depending on what was needed to advance the plot, and the way that the story was narrated meant that I wasn’t always entirely sure of whether certain events had happened or not... However, I thought it was a brave book tackling numerous themes around the darker sides of immigration with a focus on those that have been damaged in their home countries and/or by the process of emigration and the realities faced upon their arrival in the US. There are also searing insights into racism, privilege (and its lack) and gender related violence. As will be fairly clear from it’s reviews it’s not an easy book to read - there is cruelty and violence, its themes are disturbing and its overall view of society rather disheartening but it does take a different approach to highlighting issues that personally I really appreciated. Considering that this is a debut it will be interesting to read the author’s later work develops.
April 23, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. It’s just as dark & twisted as the other reviewers noted. If you were able to get completely through American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (which I was not) then you will definitely be able to get through the graphic parts of this novel. I’m a sucker for anthropomorphic objects and historical fiction, so I loved both of those elements. I gave it 4 stars because at times I was anxiously waiting for the plot to move along and find resolution while the author was still waxing poetic for pages upon pages, adding what felt like an excessive amount of detail and back story.
This novel is like the first EP of a band that has amazing potential but isn’t quite there yet. I look forward to her second novel.
This novel is like the first EP of a band that has amazing potential but isn’t quite there yet. I look forward to her second novel.
July 28, 2020
Different than anything I've read before.
Thought provoking. Only the thoughts this author provokes are not ones many of us necessarily like to contemplate. Some are uncomfortable on a personal level, while others shed light on the error of our nation's ways in "helping" those who've fled distant lands for better lives here. This wasn't an easy read.
Thought provoking. Only the thoughts this author provokes are not ones many of us necessarily like to contemplate. Some are uncomfortable on a personal level, while others shed light on the error of our nation's ways in "helping" those who've fled distant lands for better lives here. This wasn't an easy read.
October 25, 2020
I wanted to like this book, and I thought I could finish it, but I just couldn’t do it. The plot was fresh and interesting -it’s told from the perspective of the house! There was some beautiful writing, but as much as I wanted to enjoy it, I felt like it dragged on.
It dragged on about the horrors without really saying much.
It dragged on about the horrors without really saying much.
August 6, 2020
Brilliant, disturbing, intense. I couldn't stop reading until I finished it (in one day). Ms. Momplaisir grabs you on page 1 and never lets go.
September 16, 2020
Without going into spoiler territory, this book is beautifully written but extremely graphic with its depictions of violence.
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