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Housebreaking
Following a long-standing feud and looking to settle the score, a woman decides to dismantle her home—alone and by hand—and move it across a frozen pond during a harsh New England winter in this mesmerizing debut.
Home is certainly not where Del’s heart is. After a local scandal led to her parents’ divorce and the rest of her family turned their backs on her, Del left her small town and cut off contact.
Now, with both of her parents gone, a chance has arrived for Del to retaliate.
Her uncle wants the one thing Del inherited: the family home.
Instead of handing the place over, and with no other resources at her disposal, Del decides she will tear the place apart herself—piece by piece.
But Del will soon discover, the task stirs up more than just old memories as relatives—each in their own state of unraveling—come knocking on her door.
This spare, strange, magical book is a story not only about the powerlessness and hurt that run through a family but also about the moments when brokenness can offer us the rare chance to start again.
Home is certainly not where Del’s heart is. After a local scandal led to her parents’ divorce and the rest of her family turned their backs on her, Del left her small town and cut off contact.
Now, with both of her parents gone, a chance has arrived for Del to retaliate.
Her uncle wants the one thing Del inherited: the family home.
Instead of handing the place over, and with no other resources at her disposal, Del decides she will tear the place apart herself—piece by piece.
But Del will soon discover, the task stirs up more than just old memories as relatives—each in their own state of unraveling—come knocking on her door.
This spare, strange, magical book is a story not only about the powerlessness and hurt that run through a family but also about the moments when brokenness can offer us the rare chance to start again.
368 pages, Paperback
Published April 19, 2022
80 people are currently reading
7628 people want to read
About the author
Colleen Hubbard
1 book65 followersA native of New England, Colleen Hubbard now lives in the UK with her family. She graduated from the University of East Anglia MA program in creative writing, where she earned the Head of School Prize with a distinction.
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April 19, 2022
Housebreaking by Colleen Hubbard
Twenty four year old Del had a difficult childhood. Her mom was the black sheep of the family and a scandal led to her parents splitting up and her mom's family despising Del's family even more than they had before the scandal. Despite Del's Uncle Chuck making out big with the family inheritance he's mad because the family house was left to Del's mom. But Del's mom died and she went to live with her dad until he died and her dad's friend Tym took her in. But now Tym wants her gone, in the most friendly of ways, because he's finally ready to start living with one of his many guy hookups.
Del's Uncle Chuck wants her to come back to her hometown so he can pay her for her house. He's building housing developments and her land is right smack in the middle of his latest endeavor. But Del, who has made a life of underachieving and self sabotage, can't stand Uncle Chuck and his family and rebels at taking the house money and running. Instead she decides to dismantle the house and place it on the tiny lot of land that Chuck provides her. Not dismantle the house in a way that it can be put back together again, not move it so that it can ever be lived in again. She's going to destroy the house but pile up the pieces in sight of the new development. Del goes long periods of time without washing herself, she stinks, she doesn't comb her hair, she's unfriendly to everyone, and she has no other plan but to move the pieces of the house to the other lot before her March deadline is up.
Del reluctantly makes friends whether she wants them or not and they even help her with her project although they do tell her she stinks and get her to occasionally take a shower. By the end of the story Del has acquired a sort of friends and family group of people who care about her, she is certainly not alone, but I'm not sure she won't continue her destructive and self sabotaging behavior in the future. For me, this story was difficult to read, not as funny as it might be for others, and I really couldn't connect with Del's journey in life so far.
Publication: April 19th 2022
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.
Twenty four year old Del had a difficult childhood. Her mom was the black sheep of the family and a scandal led to her parents splitting up and her mom's family despising Del's family even more than they had before the scandal. Despite Del's Uncle Chuck making out big with the family inheritance he's mad because the family house was left to Del's mom. But Del's mom died and she went to live with her dad until he died and her dad's friend Tym took her in. But now Tym wants her gone, in the most friendly of ways, because he's finally ready to start living with one of his many guy hookups.
Del's Uncle Chuck wants her to come back to her hometown so he can pay her for her house. He's building housing developments and her land is right smack in the middle of his latest endeavor. But Del, who has made a life of underachieving and self sabotage, can't stand Uncle Chuck and his family and rebels at taking the house money and running. Instead she decides to dismantle the house and place it on the tiny lot of land that Chuck provides her. Not dismantle the house in a way that it can be put back together again, not move it so that it can ever be lived in again. She's going to destroy the house but pile up the pieces in sight of the new development. Del goes long periods of time without washing herself, she stinks, she doesn't comb her hair, she's unfriendly to everyone, and she has no other plan but to move the pieces of the house to the other lot before her March deadline is up.
Del reluctantly makes friends whether she wants them or not and they even help her with her project although they do tell her she stinks and get her to occasionally take a shower. By the end of the story Del has acquired a sort of friends and family group of people who care about her, she is certainly not alone, but I'm not sure she won't continue her destructive and self sabotaging behavior in the future. For me, this story was difficult to read, not as funny as it might be for others, and I really couldn't connect with Del's journey in life so far.
Publication: April 19th 2022
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.
May 23, 2022
Interesting fact about this book you read a random dysfunctional family story about a random character and you truly enjoyed every second of it!
24 years old girl Del who spends an aimless life, working at random, shout-lived jobs, living with deceased father’s old friend as roommate, smoking pot, watching old musicals on Tv, then she finds out she got inherited her family house she’s left behind.
Her mother’s black sheep of the family, who is shunned and died at young age because of unhappiness. Del blames on her greedy uncle Chuck and his family ( especially two menace cousins and one stupid cousin Greg who does their dirty jobs) for her mother’s difficult and struggling life! Now the uncle Chuck is rich but he’s still resentful because their family gave the house to his sister to the house: the very same sister who was drunk all time and had an unsuccessful marriage that ruined their family reputation!
But the reason behind her mom’s humiliation and her relatives’ speaking ill about her father is completely different.
When Del goes to hometown, she thinks she’ll take her check and starts a new chapter in her life, moving to Florida or Nevada. But as soon as she arrives to the town, tripping down memory lane, seeing a nemesis who ruined her life, she decides to fight with her uncle and tear the place apart!
Of course in the middle of the winter, completing her mission without utilities, enough money can challenge her a lot. But she’s stubborn and determined enough even though everyone warns her she’s acting insane!
Well, her mission to destroy her own childhood house brings out family secrets and unexpected revelations that truly surprise her!
I was neutral about Del, interestingly I want to cheer for Eleanor and Tym who were absolutely outstanding supporting characters. Eleanor may be my future self ( she’s exactly like my grandma) made me laugh so hard! And Tym was peculiar, definitely interesting, one of a kind guy: I adored him.
I lost my interest in the middle of the book. Thankfully its pace picked up at the last third and I enjoyed the ending!
Because of the remarkable characterization and genuine story telling skills, I have to congratulate this lovely debut author! She’s promising and I’m looking forward to read her future works!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
24 years old girl Del who spends an aimless life, working at random, shout-lived jobs, living with deceased father’s old friend as roommate, smoking pot, watching old musicals on Tv, then she finds out she got inherited her family house she’s left behind.
Her mother’s black sheep of the family, who is shunned and died at young age because of unhappiness. Del blames on her greedy uncle Chuck and his family ( especially two menace cousins and one stupid cousin Greg who does their dirty jobs) for her mother’s difficult and struggling life! Now the uncle Chuck is rich but he’s still resentful because their family gave the house to his sister to the house: the very same sister who was drunk all time and had an unsuccessful marriage that ruined their family reputation!
But the reason behind her mom’s humiliation and her relatives’ speaking ill about her father is completely different.
When Del goes to hometown, she thinks she’ll take her check and starts a new chapter in her life, moving to Florida or Nevada. But as soon as she arrives to the town, tripping down memory lane, seeing a nemesis who ruined her life, she decides to fight with her uncle and tear the place apart!
Of course in the middle of the winter, completing her mission without utilities, enough money can challenge her a lot. But she’s stubborn and determined enough even though everyone warns her she’s acting insane!
Well, her mission to destroy her own childhood house brings out family secrets and unexpected revelations that truly surprise her!
I was neutral about Del, interestingly I want to cheer for Eleanor and Tym who were absolutely outstanding supporting characters. Eleanor may be my future self ( she’s exactly like my grandma) made me laugh so hard! And Tym was peculiar, definitely interesting, one of a kind guy: I adored him.
I lost my interest in the middle of the book. Thankfully its pace picked up at the last third and I enjoyed the ending!
Because of the remarkable characterization and genuine story telling skills, I have to congratulate this lovely debut author! She’s promising and I’m looking forward to read her future works!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
April 29, 2022
Del is a 24-year old whose parents have both passed away. She’s not really happy with life, and just goes about day by day. One day, her cousin tracks her down and asks to meet up. It turns out that he and his brothers work for his dad (Del’s uncle), and they want to buy her out of the family home she owns.
Del hasn’t lived in that house for years. It’s been sitting completely dormant and dusty with no electricity. Even though she never wanted to return to her small hometown, she doesn’t want the house knocked down so her uncle can build new homes over it.
Feeling spiteful, and maybe a bit upset about losing the home she shared with her parents, Del decides she will remove the house from her uncle’s land…all by herself…piece by piece.
I enjoyed reading this, but there is such an odd feel to it. There’s some dark humor, but it also feels very melancholic…sometimes downright depressing. That goes for Del too.
I liked her, and felt like I was getting closer to who her character was, but really feeling for her was just out of reach. The emotional punch I expected was elusive, despite caring about what happened.
That being said, there are some uplifting moments as Del unexpectedly ends up getting help with her housebreaking from some folks, who ultimately surprise her and make her realize she may not be all alone in the world.
By the end, I still wasn’t completely sure who Del was, or if she would truly share her life with others, and that made ME feel melancholic.
This is a solid 3.5 star read. I enjoyed it overall, but would’ve appreciated just a bit more emotional conflict. However, I REALLY didn’t want this book to end where it did. I would’ve loved for it to have a few more chapters so I could find out what happened to all of the characters later in their lives. That indicated to me that I did care about this story and its characters, and so I am rounding up.
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley for a widget of the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Now available.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
Del hasn’t lived in that house for years. It’s been sitting completely dormant and dusty with no electricity. Even though she never wanted to return to her small hometown, she doesn’t want the house knocked down so her uncle can build new homes over it.
Feeling spiteful, and maybe a bit upset about losing the home she shared with her parents, Del decides she will remove the house from her uncle’s land…all by herself…piece by piece.
I enjoyed reading this, but there is such an odd feel to it. There’s some dark humor, but it also feels very melancholic…sometimes downright depressing. That goes for Del too.
I liked her, and felt like I was getting closer to who her character was, but really feeling for her was just out of reach. The emotional punch I expected was elusive, despite caring about what happened.
That being said, there are some uplifting moments as Del unexpectedly ends up getting help with her housebreaking from some folks, who ultimately surprise her and make her realize she may not be all alone in the world.
By the end, I still wasn’t completely sure who Del was, or if she would truly share her life with others, and that made ME feel melancholic.
This is a solid 3.5 star read. I enjoyed it overall, but would’ve appreciated just a bit more emotional conflict. However, I REALLY didn’t want this book to end where it did. I would’ve loved for it to have a few more chapters so I could find out what happened to all of the characters later in their lives. That indicated to me that I did care about this story and its characters, and so I am rounding up.
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley for a widget of the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Now available.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
February 22, 2022
This isn't my cup of tea except for the fact that I'm very into books about unhappy people making friends.
And no, don't use that to read into me psychologically. This is a one way transactional relationship, in which I put out a ton of content and overshare constantly and somehow manage to remain mysterious and unknown, okay??
But anyway, otherwise, this book: Weird!
It is very odd that this woman is exclusively friends with gay men and much older women!
I get the metaphor of a woman physically dismantling her familial home but this was just strange!
Really I think if this had veered more toward literary fiction (less obvious, a more difficult read) I would have liked it more!
But as it was it felt like bizarreness for bizarreness' sake!
Bottom line: I ran out of synonyms for weird and am threatening to break my exclamation point key so time to end this review!
2.5
----------------
i honestly believed i could tell what this book was about from the cover.
turns out, no.
(thanks to netgalley etc. for the e-arc)
And no, don't use that to read into me psychologically. This is a one way transactional relationship, in which I put out a ton of content and overshare constantly and somehow manage to remain mysterious and unknown, okay??
But anyway, otherwise, this book: Weird!
It is very odd that this woman is exclusively friends with gay men and much older women!
I get the metaphor of a woman physically dismantling her familial home but this was just strange!
Really I think if this had veered more toward literary fiction (less obvious, a more difficult read) I would have liked it more!
But as it was it felt like bizarreness for bizarreness' sake!
Bottom line: I ran out of synonyms for weird and am threatening to break my exclamation point key so time to end this review!
2.5
----------------
i honestly believed i could tell what this book was about from the cover.
turns out, no.
(thanks to netgalley etc. for the e-arc)
February 17, 2022
This book sounded much more interesting than it was. A young woman inherits a house. Her uncle is willing to buy it off her because he wants the land for his construction company. Due to a family squabble (which needed to have been better fleshed out) she decides to move the house instead and just sell the land. He gives her a deadline to have the house off the property. While doing this, she lives in the house, which is ramshackle and lacks all utilities. But I just didn’t get it. I truly felt it was a case of biting off your nose to spite your face. Del makes some really stupid decisions and I never understood her motives. I struggled to envision how she planned to live in a house she was disassembling. And as the story went on, I struggled to see the scenes where she actually works on the house play out in my head. They just didn’t come across as believable.
I did appreciate the ending and found Jeanne the most relatable character.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.
I did appreciate the ending and found Jeanne the most relatable character.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.
April 26, 2022
This is a Family Drama Women's Fiction. I like the characters in this book. My biggest problem with this book is I did not understand the house thing, and I kept asking myself why and what was the point of doing it. The book was an interesting read, but it really did not make sense. The storyline in this book just was weird, and what the characters did was confusing. This book wins the weirdness and pointless books I have read, but it kept me reading it. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Berkley Books) or author (Colleen Hubbard) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
December 22, 2021
This is my own book, so in the interest of fairness I averaged reviews collected across my family. “Genius-level stuff, I’ll send you a check for $5,” - my great aunt (estimation: 10 stars); “Your second grade teacher said you’d be lucky to graduate high school so I guess this is notable. Am I in the acknowledgments?” - my mom (estimation: 3 stars); “I don’t enjoy novels,” - my brother (estimation: 2 stars). Average: 5 stars.
May 4, 2022
Housebreaking is a hard one to rate because really the story isn’t quite there. Del discovers she has inherited a small plot of land and the house she grew up in due to her real estate developer uncle needing it for a new subdivision he is planning on building. Rather than simply selling out, she gets ol’ Chuck to agree to reduce the lump sum, but also give her a different plot across the pond where she can move the house. Buuuuuuuut, she has no intention of actually moving the house. She’s simply going to tear it apart board by board and drag everything across the pond where she’ll dump it on tarps. The existing structure is already without any sort of gas or power and she’s doing this over the course of the winter . . . in New England.
You see my dilemma? The plot is pretty terrible. The saving grace here are the characters. Del (despite her personal hygiene issues), Tym, Eleanor, the new friends Del makes and even some of the Murrows ended up being a total delight. If you enjoy the loveable loser, “maybe you can go home again” types of tales and can tolerate a questionable storyline in order to simply hang around these folks for awhile, the characters and dialogue might be enough to win you over.
3.5 Stars and I’m rounding up because I hate everyone, but I liked Del.
ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
November 4, 2021
Del doesn’t have much going for her, only a series of dead-end jobs and a recent spot in the unemployment line. She doesn’t even have a place to call her own while staying at her dad’s friend’s apartment after losing her parents. A call from her relative, regarding her mother’s house may give Del the push in life she needs as she searches for direction.
Dismantling part of a legacy can be a healing process. For Del the opportunity means freedom, something she’s finally ready to claim for herself by striking a deal with her uncle and selling her family land. But she must move her family’s house from the land or she’ll lose everything.
From the dusty remnants of her past, Del’s house becomes a symbol. She tackles the monumental task of moving the house piece by piece, emptying everything from inside first while analyzing her family’s place in a closed-minded small town. She also tackles the hard part of letting everything go, not the materials things as she explains, rather coming to terms with the idea she has everything she needs to survive already inside her.
Her gay father was run out of town and her mother drank away her problems. Nobody came to Del’s aid when she needed it most. Del grew a hard shell and stripped emotions and truths about life down to the barest levels. Stubborn is the perfect way to describe everything about Del, who always makes things so much harder for herself, which also makes it difficult to root for her as a character. However, Del’s candid insights about life drives this story, not her backward—and sometimes entertaining—family or friends.
The story often played out like Del was just going along with life because it was too hard for her to actually live her life. The tone of the book heavily suggested Del was suffering from severe depression, sometimes Del barely managing the will to survive, yet the topic was unfortunately never discussed. This book instead focuses on Del's place in her family and how her mother and father were considered the screwed up branch and shunned by the town. In reality, most of her family was unraveling all around her and had been for years.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Dismantling part of a legacy can be a healing process. For Del the opportunity means freedom, something she’s finally ready to claim for herself by striking a deal with her uncle and selling her family land. But she must move her family’s house from the land or she’ll lose everything.
From the dusty remnants of her past, Del’s house becomes a symbol. She tackles the monumental task of moving the house piece by piece, emptying everything from inside first while analyzing her family’s place in a closed-minded small town. She also tackles the hard part of letting everything go, not the materials things as she explains, rather coming to terms with the idea she has everything she needs to survive already inside her.
Her gay father was run out of town and her mother drank away her problems. Nobody came to Del’s aid when she needed it most. Del grew a hard shell and stripped emotions and truths about life down to the barest levels. Stubborn is the perfect way to describe everything about Del, who always makes things so much harder for herself, which also makes it difficult to root for her as a character. However, Del’s candid insights about life drives this story, not her backward—and sometimes entertaining—family or friends.
The story often played out like Del was just going along with life because it was too hard for her to actually live her life. The tone of the book heavily suggested Del was suffering from severe depression, sometimes Del barely managing the will to survive, yet the topic was unfortunately never discussed. This book instead focuses on Del's place in her family and how her mother and father were considered the screwed up branch and shunned by the town. In reality, most of her family was unraveling all around her and had been for years.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
May 22, 2022
3.5 stars.
The author writes at the back of the book that she felt likes she was telling a story she’d heard, and that’s exactly what this feels like: sitting down to family dinner with my grandfather telling me about some friend’s crazy niece who’s dismantling her family home. No one would be laughing, there’d be a lot of speculation on why she’d do such a thing, a lot of shoulder shrugging and head shaking, and then, inevitably, conversation would move on to some other story about hunting season or the Red Sox game.
And I adored it for that. I’d say the book is also about identity and belonging. The questions in the back of the book focused more on family and familial relationships and it is, it just wasn’t what I identified with here.
The writing is fine. The characters are fleshed out and felt like people I’ve met before- Eleanor with the five husbands and a cornucopia of fur coats, Billy the super market clerk with a heart of gold and too many brothers to count, Aunt Jeanne who cares too much about appearances.
I think what holds it back is that it’s an introspective novel where just nothing much happens. I think Del does grow as a character but there isn’t a lot of tension to propel the book forward. I was expecting there to be more of a clear cut reason for Del to do what she did but I was left to speculate. I liked how she left it all there in view of the developments- like an F U to her uncle and all the people living there, that part I understood.
This one will stick with me a bit for sure. Definitely unique.
The author writes at the back of the book that she felt likes she was telling a story she’d heard, and that’s exactly what this feels like: sitting down to family dinner with my grandfather telling me about some friend’s crazy niece who’s dismantling her family home. No one would be laughing, there’d be a lot of speculation on why she’d do such a thing, a lot of shoulder shrugging and head shaking, and then, inevitably, conversation would move on to some other story about hunting season or the Red Sox game.
And I adored it for that. I’d say the book is also about identity and belonging. The questions in the back of the book focused more on family and familial relationships and it is, it just wasn’t what I identified with here.
The writing is fine. The characters are fleshed out and felt like people I’ve met before- Eleanor with the five husbands and a cornucopia of fur coats, Billy the super market clerk with a heart of gold and too many brothers to count, Aunt Jeanne who cares too much about appearances.
I think what holds it back is that it’s an introspective novel where just nothing much happens. I think Del does grow as a character but there isn’t a lot of tension to propel the book forward. I was expecting there to be more of a clear cut reason for Del to do what she did but I was left to speculate. I liked how she left it all there in view of the developments- like an F U to her uncle and all the people living there, that part I understood.
This one will stick with me a bit for sure. Definitely unique.
September 28, 2021
This was a treat! The writing is assured and much attention is given to the characters and description. I was rooting for Del all the way, holding my breath at times wondering how I would feel living in my old home in the midst of dismantling, how would I handle this or that. Colleen Hubbard somehow managed to make Del’s story so real – despite some really insane moves in my opinion – that I was running a parallel scenario on how real it sounded to me. It’s a book and a story whose main character gets a hold of you and doesn’t let go. I could not relate to her living conditions and some of her choices and yet somehow it made sense for her. It’s one of those books that when you read about the cold peeking and the snow blowing you feel yourself freezing and you shiver inside. Del sets her own course, braves obstacles and we are lucky as readers to get an inside peek of her while the people in her life are held at a distance. Highly recommend! I can’t wait to read what Colleen Hubbard writes next. I received Housebreaking as an ARC. I absolutely enjoy requesting an ARC on very little info as it allows me to dive in the novel without any expectations and often with very little ideas of what to expect.
August 16, 2022
This is a wonderfully written novel on one of my favorite themes. Cussedness.
I’m a very agreeable person. On the bus I watch eagerly for someone to give my seat to. I declare my servitude to cats, regularly and earnestly. I wake them up to ask them if there’s anything I can get for them.
That is to say, I’m nothing like Del. (Though I do neglect to shower on occasion.) Del is prepared to go to great difficult hatefully uncomfortable lengths to spite her uncle and his family and their town. It’s almost like that spite was just waiting there in Del, waiting to find a cause to which it could attach itself. I admire it, in a way. I’m in awe of it.
And, anyway, it’s a fun engine for a novel to see all the ways in which cussedness can prevail and the ways it can’t. Even Del, whose spite stands like a towering featureless monolith from a Kubrick movie, needs people. She does finally make concessions, letting others in. Our need for others is just too cussed.
I also really liked the metaphor here. The “deconstruction” of youth that becomes literal in the story, which in Del’s case is full of destructive guesswork. I understand the necessity of moving that deconstructed material of youth onto a new ground of one’s own.
I look forward to more from Colleen Hubbard!
I’m a very agreeable person. On the bus I watch eagerly for someone to give my seat to. I declare my servitude to cats, regularly and earnestly. I wake them up to ask them if there’s anything I can get for them.
That is to say, I’m nothing like Del. (Though I do neglect to shower on occasion.) Del is prepared to go to great difficult hatefully uncomfortable lengths to spite her uncle and his family and their town. It’s almost like that spite was just waiting there in Del, waiting to find a cause to which it could attach itself. I admire it, in a way. I’m in awe of it.
And, anyway, it’s a fun engine for a novel to see all the ways in which cussedness can prevail and the ways it can’t. Even Del, whose spite stands like a towering featureless monolith from a Kubrick movie, needs people. She does finally make concessions, letting others in. Our need for others is just too cussed.
I also really liked the metaphor here. The “deconstruction” of youth that becomes literal in the story, which in Del’s case is full of destructive guesswork. I understand the necessity of moving that deconstructed material of youth onto a new ground of one’s own.
I look forward to more from Colleen Hubbard!
October 16, 2021
I am genuinely unsure if this book was genuinely as uninteresting and predictable as it often felt to me, or if it is such a brilliant metaphor I am just unable to rise to the author’s expectation. I get that dismantling the house is dismantling a life and tumultuous family history, but I am not sure this creates any real growth for anyone. The cast of characters that orbit Del as she takes on this spite-project are interesting, and they certainly undergo change. However, when the story wraps up, everyone is just doing basically the same things in the same small town. Granted, that may be a much more realistic take on human nature, but I am not sure I needed to spend an entire novel’s worth of words watching Del make life infinitely harder for herself to get that message. I would genuinely say to anyone asking about this book: I don't know if it was good, but I think every reader will get something out of it.
March 16, 2023
4.5
This was such a good read, properly engrossing and filled with great characters. Del is a really convincing protagonist. She's rebellious, stubborn, curt, has the arrogance of youth. Yet she's also got heart, grit, doesn't put up with any bullshit, refuses to be a victim. I completely loved her and rooted for her throughout.
The writing is spare and unpretentious, the story moves quickly and the ending is deeply satisfying.
This is a brilliant debut and a perfect read for fans of Elizabeth Strout, Anne Tyler, Annie Proulx etc.
This was such a good read, properly engrossing and filled with great characters. Del is a really convincing protagonist. She's rebellious, stubborn, curt, has the arrogance of youth. Yet she's also got heart, grit, doesn't put up with any bullshit, refuses to be a victim. I completely loved her and rooted for her throughout.
The writing is spare and unpretentious, the story moves quickly and the ending is deeply satisfying.
This is a brilliant debut and a perfect read for fans of Elizabeth Strout, Anne Tyler, Annie Proulx etc.
November 14, 2021
I received a copy to preview from BookBrowse.
Del is a 24 years old, soon to be 25, who can not get her life on track. After her mother's death at age 17, she left everything behind, including the house her mother owned in a small New England town. She lives with her father until his death, only a few years later. One day she receives a phone call from an estranged cousin about the property she left behind years ago. Although she has no desire to return this place and family members she wants no contact with, she does so to finalize her ties with said family and place. This starts an adventure of huge interactions and seemingly insurmountable events that at times are humorous and at times heartbreaking. Most of the people she is forced to interact with are irritating, frustrating, and annoying to her. But as time goes on she learns a lot about herself and these others as she goes about trying to prove a point.
The story has a wonderful set of wonderful characters, all with messy lives. The landscape also provides a backdrop that is central to story. I found the book very enjoyable and hard to put down always wondering what could happen next and what could go wrong.
Del is a 24 years old, soon to be 25, who can not get her life on track. After her mother's death at age 17, she left everything behind, including the house her mother owned in a small New England town. She lives with her father until his death, only a few years later. One day she receives a phone call from an estranged cousin about the property she left behind years ago. Although she has no desire to return this place and family members she wants no contact with, she does so to finalize her ties with said family and place. This starts an adventure of huge interactions and seemingly insurmountable events that at times are humorous and at times heartbreaking. Most of the people she is forced to interact with are irritating, frustrating, and annoying to her. But as time goes on she learns a lot about herself and these others as she goes about trying to prove a point.
The story has a wonderful set of wonderful characters, all with messy lives. The landscape also provides a backdrop that is central to story. I found the book very enjoyable and hard to put down always wondering what could happen next and what could go wrong.
April 18, 2022
Del has had a difficult childhood and even life as an adult, hasn’t been easy. She doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere, especially when a family scandal leads her mothers family to disown them. Del’s uncle Chuck is still jealous that despite the inheritance he got, Del’s mother was left the family home. When Del’s parents have both passed on and her roommate is ready for her to move out, the only option she has left is to move in the family home. Chuck is operating to her coming back to town so he can buy the house from her so he can clear the land to make way for his latest housing development. He gives her a tiny piece of land with his offer, and Del decides to turn down his deal and dismantle the house by herself, by hand and pile up all the pieces on the piece of land he gave her just to show him he can’t get everything he wants, and he sure didn’t expect her to be able to rebuild it again. While deconstructing the house, she lives in it and even when her aunt leaves her uncle, she comes to live in the dilapidated house with her and sets up a schedule to help her plan how to get the job done by the deadline, despite there not being running water and electricity most of the time.
This is a story of strength, self discovery and friendship that is family. There were some funny moments, but overall, it was pretty sad.
This is a story of strength, self discovery and friendship that is family. There were some funny moments, but overall, it was pretty sad.
April 18, 2022
Del never planned on going back to her hometown. But at a crossroads herself and with both of her parents now deceased, she reluctantly returns for closure.
When she arrives she is offered compensation in exchange for the land where her childhood home still resides. At first taking the money and running seems like a no brainer. After all, Del is in recently unemployed and in desperate need of some cash. But being back in town brings up some old feelings and old grudges that make letting go and walking away easier said than done.
So Del offers up a unique proposition instead- one that involves her dismantling the house, piece by piece, by herself. What family she has left thinks she’s crazy and maybe she is. Can Del tear down the house in time while attempting to rebuild herself in the process?
Housebreaking was an interesting book. Admittedly I too thought Del’s proposal was crazy and even as it was unfolding, I found it hard to visualize. I actually think this book would make a great movie, just to fulfill that visualization. Del was a frustratingly stubborn character who had both a literal and figurative ax to grind with nearly everyone she encountered. It soon became clear that the actual dismantling of walls was necessary to Del’s own emotional dismantling. It’s a concept that’s been explored before, but never in quite this way.
Overall, the surprisingly humorous and heartfelt Housebreaking is a good foundation for a new author to build a reputation on.
When she arrives she is offered compensation in exchange for the land where her childhood home still resides. At first taking the money and running seems like a no brainer. After all, Del is in recently unemployed and in desperate need of some cash. But being back in town brings up some old feelings and old grudges that make letting go and walking away easier said than done.
So Del offers up a unique proposition instead- one that involves her dismantling the house, piece by piece, by herself. What family she has left thinks she’s crazy and maybe she is. Can Del tear down the house in time while attempting to rebuild herself in the process?
Housebreaking was an interesting book. Admittedly I too thought Del’s proposal was crazy and even as it was unfolding, I found it hard to visualize. I actually think this book would make a great movie, just to fulfill that visualization. Del was a frustratingly stubborn character who had both a literal and figurative ax to grind with nearly everyone she encountered. It soon became clear that the actual dismantling of walls was necessary to Del’s own emotional dismantling. It’s a concept that’s been explored before, but never in quite this way.
Overall, the surprisingly humorous and heartfelt Housebreaking is a good foundation for a new author to build a reputation on.
March 6, 2023
This book has to be a five star review for how it pulled me out of my reading slump and how much I loved the characters. Del is so like the kickass girl I always secretly wanted to be - a determined, in your face loner. Del's spiky attitude, however, is a mask for a deep vulnerability and fear of being hurt. Her herculean battle to singlehandedly tear down her childhood home is a stripping down of her own emotional past. While we delight in her I'll do it my way don't give a damn attitude, we question the sanity of her plan and contemplate the end game. Will she succeed and to what end?
September 24, 2021
This is a glorious book. I just want to thank the author for writing it.
July 11, 2022
I'm always hedging on doling out a fifth star. This one did it for me. There was one point where I lost my breath and uttered "Oh, nooooo." But all along this (to me) completely unique book with the most ordinary of people was engrossing. How do people survive when they have nothing to lose but have a whole lot of grit.
Del, born Adela, is adrift. Her mother died in a gin-soaked car crash. As a teen, she went to live with her father who had to leave town after a scandal. Or what passed for one in that place. When the novel opens she's living with a friend of her dad's after the dad died. It's a measly existence.
Her 'inheritance' was the run-down family home and some land around the house. All in disrepair and abandoned for years. All the other acreage went to her uncle who has become one of those instant sub-division builders. Since the house is the only thing that is hers in the world, she heads back to the town she hates, trying to figure out how to thwart the uncle. They make a deal, but it takes a while for the terms to register. That's most of the book. Del is going to move the house. Day by day, almost completely by herself, she moves whatever she can manage across a creek to the speck of land The Deal will leave her. Even though I had no idea why she would agree to such a dick offer, turns out there was a real method to her determination. I had to stick around to figure it out.
Normally, I dislike things that are all about grievances and revenge. This one filled me with admiration for her survival skills and her idea that would still stick it to the uncle. A few oddball locals with a sense of decency added a touch of humor. Loved it.
Del, born Adela, is adrift. Her mother died in a gin-soaked car crash. As a teen, she went to live with her father who had to leave town after a scandal. Or what passed for one in that place. When the novel opens she's living with a friend of her dad's after the dad died. It's a measly existence.
Her 'inheritance' was the run-down family home and some land around the house. All in disrepair and abandoned for years. All the other acreage went to her uncle who has become one of those instant sub-division builders. Since the house is the only thing that is hers in the world, she heads back to the town she hates, trying to figure out how to thwart the uncle. They make a deal, but it takes a while for the terms to register. That's most of the book. Del is going to move the house. Day by day, almost completely by herself, she moves whatever she can manage across a creek to the speck of land The Deal will leave her. Even though I had no idea why she would agree to such a dick offer, turns out there was a real method to her determination. I had to stick around to figure it out.
Normally, I dislike things that are all about grievances and revenge. This one filled me with admiration for her survival skills and her idea that would still stick it to the uncle. A few oddball locals with a sense of decency added a touch of humor. Loved it.
December 20, 2023
Interesting novel about family and past feeling and deconstruction
November 2, 2021
I had a few problems with the story, the situation with the house never really made sense to me, the details were unclear. I truly loved the cast of characters. Del is so unlike the heroes we are frequently given in novels with female characters. She’s rude, a loner, she stinks, she is not looking for love. There needs to be more heroes like her. Why are we always trying so damn hard to be pretty and lovable? I appreciated her frankness, and dry sense of humor very much. The last chapter felt a bit like a throwaway, but I guess that’s also how Del would’ve done it since she plain old doesn’t give a sh&$ what most people think. **slow clap**
January 3, 2022
Housebreaking
by Colleen Hubbard
When Elizabeth Strout and Ottessa Moshfegh are referenced in media reviews - as in "if you like ..." I have possibly unrealistically high expectations. Which were met! The requisite off kilter, unlikable yet believable family members, the impossible task ... I couldn't even clean out my closets given an entire year hidden at home. I'm looking forward to more from this first-time author. (less)
by Colleen Hubbard
When Elizabeth Strout and Ottessa Moshfegh are referenced in media reviews - as in "if you like ..." I have possibly unrealistically high expectations. Which were met! The requisite off kilter, unlikable yet believable family members, the impossible task ... I couldn't even clean out my closets given an entire year hidden at home. I'm looking forward to more from this first-time author. (less)
November 13, 2021
I didn't like this book or Del to begin with but then I got sucked in and spent the rest of the evening finishing the book just to see how she would get out of the life she had made for herself. It just got better and better and I commend Colleen Hubbard for writing one of the best books I have read this year.
October 20, 2022
It has been a really long time since I’ve been surprised by a book. This was a coming of age novel, but it was more like actual life, where there isn’t a big twist three quarters in to make you learn. Haven’t read another one like this.
April 8, 2022
Housebreaking by Colleen Hubbard is a very highly recommended coming-of-age domestic drama but also a novel about healing brokenness.
Del Murrow is currently living with a friend of her father's, Tym. What led her there was a scandal, divorce and the death of both of her parents. When her father died Tym offered a room for her at his place. Now at age 24 she is directionless and recently unemployed. Then after no contact for years, her uncle unexpectedly sends her cousin Greg as an emissary to talk to Del about selling the abandoned family home and land from her mother's estate. Then Tym suggests she should get her own place. These changed circumstances lead her to travel back to the small town where her childhood home is located to consider the offer. Once there she devises another plan, and counters her uncle's offer with a totally unexpected condition. Her plan will require her to move her family home across a pond onto a swampy track of land.
It is the tale of a relative (Del) who is looked down at by her other relatives (her uncle) who wants to take advantage of her youth and inexperience to benefit himself. Del is certainly broken emotionally and demoralized. She feels she has no one to rely upon but herself, although Tym remains a friend and supports her emotionally. Her plan has her taking on the clearly Sisyphean task of dismantling a house and moving it across a pond. The end result of this enormous task is that her uncle will not own the house and the new houses in the development her uncle builds on the land will have a view of the junk pile of her deconstructed house.
As Del works on her monumental backbreaking task, she has her mother's friend Eleanor checking up on her and she makes friends with a supermarket clerk, but mostly Del works alone, desperate to extract her revenge on her uncle while simultaneously examining her parents lives along with her own while taking the house apart. She needs the cash but she also needs to deal with the powerlessness and hurt she feels over the treatment of her family as well as the abandonment their deaths represent by leaving her mark in the area for her mother's sake.
This strange fairy-tale of a book captured my imagination and held my attention throughout. I don't know if I can adequately express why I loved it so much, but I did. Del experiences growth as a character as she undertakes the seemingly impossible task by sheer determination. The undertaking of the project, which appears to be foolish, actually provides a calling for Del. She puts all of her fortitude and effort into the project and refuses to give up. In the end she learns something about herself.
There is one drawback which was a niggling little fact always at the back of my mind. In the real world you have to pay property taxes. I had to set aside the fact that realistically her uncle could have likely bought the property for back taxes due. Just as with any fable, reality isn't always part of the story. I embraced the folkloric part of the plot and set reality aside to enjoy the heroine overcoming the obstacles placed before her in order to finish the task she must complete.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/0...
Del Murrow is currently living with a friend of her father's, Tym. What led her there was a scandal, divorce and the death of both of her parents. When her father died Tym offered a room for her at his place. Now at age 24 she is directionless and recently unemployed. Then after no contact for years, her uncle unexpectedly sends her cousin Greg as an emissary to talk to Del about selling the abandoned family home and land from her mother's estate. Then Tym suggests she should get her own place. These changed circumstances lead her to travel back to the small town where her childhood home is located to consider the offer. Once there she devises another plan, and counters her uncle's offer with a totally unexpected condition. Her plan will require her to move her family home across a pond onto a swampy track of land.
It is the tale of a relative (Del) who is looked down at by her other relatives (her uncle) who wants to take advantage of her youth and inexperience to benefit himself. Del is certainly broken emotionally and demoralized. She feels she has no one to rely upon but herself, although Tym remains a friend and supports her emotionally. Her plan has her taking on the clearly Sisyphean task of dismantling a house and moving it across a pond. The end result of this enormous task is that her uncle will not own the house and the new houses in the development her uncle builds on the land will have a view of the junk pile of her deconstructed house.
As Del works on her monumental backbreaking task, she has her mother's friend Eleanor checking up on her and she makes friends with a supermarket clerk, but mostly Del works alone, desperate to extract her revenge on her uncle while simultaneously examining her parents lives along with her own while taking the house apart. She needs the cash but she also needs to deal with the powerlessness and hurt she feels over the treatment of her family as well as the abandonment their deaths represent by leaving her mark in the area for her mother's sake.
This strange fairy-tale of a book captured my imagination and held my attention throughout. I don't know if I can adequately express why I loved it so much, but I did. Del experiences growth as a character as she undertakes the seemingly impossible task by sheer determination. The undertaking of the project, which appears to be foolish, actually provides a calling for Del. She puts all of her fortitude and effort into the project and refuses to give up. In the end she learns something about herself.
There is one drawback which was a niggling little fact always at the back of my mind. In the real world you have to pay property taxes. I had to set aside the fact that realistically her uncle could have likely bought the property for back taxes due. Just as with any fable, reality isn't always part of the story. I embraced the folkloric part of the plot and set reality aside to enjoy the heroine overcoming the obstacles placed before her in order to finish the task she must complete.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/0...
July 23, 2022
I adored this book so much that I purposefully kept pausing while reading it in order to make it last longer. Del is a captivating protagonist who keeps the story going with her fierce loyalty to her deceased parents and to the rare (and very precious) friends she finds along the way. I loved her weirdness and her solitary nature and her persistence in standing up to her terrible uncle and his terrible brood. Hubbard’s prose is poetic and propulsive, and the dialogue she creates between the characters is at times hilarious and at other times deeply poignant. Did I cry while reading this book? Absolutely. Did I laugh as well? I did. I cannot say enough nice things about HOUSEBREAKING. I usually give books away when I have finished them, but this one I will hold onto, as I am sure I will need to peek back in it now and then to reference certain lines that keep surfacing in my mind. A truly beautiful work of literature.
October 27, 2021
Many things for book clubs to unpack!
I honestly didn’t think I’d like this book. A 20 something who can’t hold a job and apparently doesn’t have any thoughts about the future just isn’t something that appeals. However, I quickly grew enchanted with Del and her story and had a hard time putting the book down. Turned out she had a lot more going on than someone scrounging for rent. Loved her determination, her detection and response to BS, and her humanity. Loved how we learn about Del’s past and that, for some of it, there were no pat answers or tidy explanations. I found the other characters in the book realistically characterized - likable, not likable and sometimes both. I LOLed while reading the Christmas party chapter. I can see this being a movie. Great debut novel. I hope we see more from this author.
I honestly didn’t think I’d like this book. A 20 something who can’t hold a job and apparently doesn’t have any thoughts about the future just isn’t something that appeals. However, I quickly grew enchanted with Del and her story and had a hard time putting the book down. Turned out she had a lot more going on than someone scrounging for rent. Loved her determination, her detection and response to BS, and her humanity. Loved how we learn about Del’s past and that, for some of it, there were no pat answers or tidy explanations. I found the other characters in the book realistically characterized - likable, not likable and sometimes both. I LOLed while reading the Christmas party chapter. I can see this being a movie. Great debut novel. I hope we see more from this author.
January 28, 2023
I didn't particularly like Del, especially for the first 2/3 of the book, but was rooting for her anyway. My biggest issue is not getting her motivation - Why tear down her childhood home, literally piece by piece? It's cool symbolism but just didn't make a lot of sense to me. Overall, though, an interesting read.
May 21, 2023
This book was all right. The main character had an interesting perspective and life but it didn’t feel like it all came together into something meaningful. And I guess that makes it realistic but that’s not why I especially read fiction. Also I kind of needed more knowledge of house construction to really appreciate this book?
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