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Model Home
Fine in fine dust jacket. SIGNED hardcover first edition - New Scribner,, (2012). SIGNED hardcover first edition -. Fine in fine dust jacket.. First printing. The author's first novel (his second book, following a highly praised collection of short stories), a finalist for the Pen/Faulkner award, and winner of the California Book Award. Alan Cheuse commented on NPR that "The Zillers on the surface resemble something like a model family when they first move into their new house in an upper middle class, Southern California subdivision . . It doesn't take long for the family finances to fall apart. Dad has been trying to sell some model homes out in the desert, model homes that happen to be within distinct sniffing distance of a large waste pond. And as money becomes scarce, dad has to move the family into one of these houses and take a job as a door-to-door salesman. The kids suffer these problems as well as their own, such as adolescence, a major injury from a house fire and the struggle to try to piece their worlds together while the Ziller marriage falls to pieces around them. Puchner's prose is forthright, delightfully detailed and the distance he strikes from his characters seems just not so close that we can't see them in social context, not so far that we don't feel for them deeply in their distress. I came to feel so deeply for them that the book now and then became almost excruciating to the feckless parents, the desperate kids struggling to stay alive and in love with a home world crumbling around them." SIGNED on the title page and dated in the year of publication, Review copy with publisher's material laid in, 359 pp.
360 pages, Hardcover
First published January 15, 2010
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2027 people want to read
About the author
Eric Puchner
11 books243 followersEric Puchner is the author of the novel Model Home (Scribner, 2010), which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and won a California Book Award and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award (2nd place). It was also longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. His debut short story collection, Music Through the Floor (Scribner, 2005), was a finalist for the NY Public Library's Young Lions Award.
His fiction and creative nonfiction have appeared in GQ, Tin House, Zoetrope: All Story, Chicago Tribune, The Sun, Glimmer Train, Best New American Voices, and many other journals and anthologies. He has work forthcoming in Best American Short Stories 2012 (edited by tom Perrotta) and Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012 (edited by Dave Eggers).
A recipient of a Pushcart Prize, a Wallace Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University, and a National Endowment for the Arts grant, he is an assistant professor of literature at Claremont McKenna College. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, novelist Katharine Noel, and their two children.
His fiction and creative nonfiction have appeared in GQ, Tin House, Zoetrope: All Story, Chicago Tribune, The Sun, Glimmer Train, Best New American Voices, and many other journals and anthologies. He has work forthcoming in Best American Short Stories 2012 (edited by tom Perrotta) and Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012 (edited by Dave Eggers).
A recipient of a Pushcart Prize, a Wallace Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University, and a National Endowment for the Arts grant, he is an assistant professor of literature at Claremont McKenna College. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, novelist Katharine Noel, and their two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 326 reviews
July 21, 2010
I have a nagging curiosity about people who fail. I have a morbid interest in families that fly straight, take flak, break apart and crash. I like to read about their slow downward spiral and final auguring into dirt. It’s especially poignant for me if the family begins from a low- to middle-income bracket, where finance, demography, and position are initially—if not cautiously—secured. (Why no interest in a high-income death spiral Jason? Probably because I came from low- to middle-income and can best relate to that financial scenario; it’s real for me. What happens to the wealthy...I’ll never be able to fully relate. Plus there’s a sense that it’s entirely within a wealthy family’s means to cut power and pull out of a nosedive before contact with earth.) No, with middle income families, to me, it seems as if there are potent external factors that nose them into the ground, no matter how much they try to pull up. These stories are slow, painful, inevitable, and not without some kind of family gore. There is always scarring, ofttimes hatred, sometimes escape, but always scarring.
Model Home is a downward spiral from mid altitude. A nuclear family in 1985 California, the 5-person Ziller family is already on fire as we begin the novel. The father repeatedly makes major mistakes in his career—he’s basically a deadbeat, uninterested in full employment, and a little on the shady side. The mother is not good at her job—she gets passed over. The kids are kids; they merely tag along at stall speed. In combination, the family becomes insolvent and loses their home. And as these career missteps begin to accumulate, the family is caught in a major downdraft. Then a life-threatening accident, maiming, teenage sexual experimentation, peer pressure, alcohol, runaway, adultery, separation, down, down, down. Opportunities missed; lives minimized.
These are the right ingredients for me. Tumble, failure. Bring to a hard boil in chicken stock, and serve hot with fresh green onion. But wait! Something’s missing. The small things. The seasoning. Salt, garlic, turmeric, a dash of cumin, cayenne, maybe a couple bay leaves and some chili powder. Translation: Eric Puchner didn’t quite brew the characters together in a flavorful whole. The chapters follow individual characters, and despite some interaction, the family integration was forced and wasn’t very savory. Puchner wants to portray a broken family, and indeed he tried to accomplish that by exploring the jagged interactions inside a family, but ultimately the characters were drawn too closely to script. The father was lame, but too exactly lame. The teenage rebel was too perfectly rebellious. The angry son was too crisply angry. The college party was too party-riffic. The jettisoned neighborhood was too cleanly isolated and remote. In other words, the characters were a bit cardboard and seemed overly staged.
On the good side, Puchner writes an engaging story with some very small, but important, and highly realistic idiosyncrasies that occur to all of us in such small--but all too true--fashion of which we’re barely conscious in our own lives. He pays sedulous attention to these little nuggets of our past. For me, the example that really stands out is a scene of adolescent coitus where the girl holds on so tightly that she leaves bruises on the boy’s ribcage. And these bruises remind him for days and days and becomes forever a memory of her. Now who among us doesn’t remember those first sexual encounters that were rushed, vivid, experimental, and mostly botched? And then there were new and unexpected pains or muscles that were sore from their very first overuse. Remember that? It’s such a small piece of life, but brilliantly captured. Puchner also anchors us at 1985-86 with repeated references to cultural mile markers--songs, movies, idioms, consumer products. I’m not ready to say these references were forced, but I appreciate them from my adolescence, so much, that I can overlook how numerous they were.
Overall this book counts. 3.5 stars. It’s just good enough to remember, and for me to recommend. It’s a pleasant read inside and outside, during the day and late at night, green eggs and ham. When I eventually make an e-shelf that says ‘messed up families,’ this book will be there, with its smooth narrative style and lonely cover picture.
Model Home is a downward spiral from mid altitude. A nuclear family in 1985 California, the 5-person Ziller family is already on fire as we begin the novel. The father repeatedly makes major mistakes in his career—he’s basically a deadbeat, uninterested in full employment, and a little on the shady side. The mother is not good at her job—she gets passed over. The kids are kids; they merely tag along at stall speed. In combination, the family becomes insolvent and loses their home. And as these career missteps begin to accumulate, the family is caught in a major downdraft. Then a life-threatening accident, maiming, teenage sexual experimentation, peer pressure, alcohol, runaway, adultery, separation, down, down, down. Opportunities missed; lives minimized.
These are the right ingredients for me. Tumble, failure. Bring to a hard boil in chicken stock, and serve hot with fresh green onion. But wait! Something’s missing. The small things. The seasoning. Salt, garlic, turmeric, a dash of cumin, cayenne, maybe a couple bay leaves and some chili powder. Translation: Eric Puchner didn’t quite brew the characters together in a flavorful whole. The chapters follow individual characters, and despite some interaction, the family integration was forced and wasn’t very savory. Puchner wants to portray a broken family, and indeed he tried to accomplish that by exploring the jagged interactions inside a family, but ultimately the characters were drawn too closely to script. The father was lame, but too exactly lame. The teenage rebel was too perfectly rebellious. The angry son was too crisply angry. The college party was too party-riffic. The jettisoned neighborhood was too cleanly isolated and remote. In other words, the characters were a bit cardboard and seemed overly staged.
On the good side, Puchner writes an engaging story with some very small, but important, and highly realistic idiosyncrasies that occur to all of us in such small--but all too true--fashion of which we’re barely conscious in our own lives. He pays sedulous attention to these little nuggets of our past. For me, the example that really stands out is a scene of adolescent coitus where the girl holds on so tightly that she leaves bruises on the boy’s ribcage. And these bruises remind him for days and days and becomes forever a memory of her. Now who among us doesn’t remember those first sexual encounters that were rushed, vivid, experimental, and mostly botched? And then there were new and unexpected pains or muscles that were sore from their very first overuse. Remember that? It’s such a small piece of life, but brilliantly captured. Puchner also anchors us at 1985-86 with repeated references to cultural mile markers--songs, movies, idioms, consumer products. I’m not ready to say these references were forced, but I appreciate them from my adolescence, so much, that I can overlook how numerous they were.
Overall this book counts. 3.5 stars. It’s just good enough to remember, and for me to recommend. It’s a pleasant read inside and outside, during the day and late at night, green eggs and ham. When I eventually make an e-shelf that says ‘messed up families,’ this book will be there, with its smooth narrative style and lonely cover picture.
April 18, 2023
I loved this book and it is not typically the kind of book I would be drawn to. Two things drew me to it. The first being the cover, which showed typical Southern California tract homes and second the summery of the story which told of a family from Wisconsin who relocated to the same area of Southern California that I did (also from Wisconsin) at the age of 12. What kept me reading was each character seemed to have his/her own strengths, flaws and a certain individuality that kept me totally enthralled.
I liked it so much that I am tempted to go and find this author's short story collection to read as well and I generally only read short stories on airplanes when I can find nothing else--that is how good I feel this author is.
The book also looks at parenting and how we help and hurt our children without meaning to. I really felt that that was the theme of this book though few others seem to mention it. It is easy to love children too much or too little and to give them too much or too little and this story certainly illustrated this. When at the end Warren (the father) talks about his son (Dustin)he realizes, "In his own particular way Warren had devoted his life to helping him. But perhaps he'd needed something else, a devotion strong enough to refuse him."
In that way I felt it was more the parent's story instead of the three kids and as a parent myself it really told of the struggles one has doing what is best/right for our children. The picture of the author certainly made him look too young to have this kind of understanding but he hit it right on the head at least for me.
Great, great book--can't say enough
I liked it so much that I am tempted to go and find this author's short story collection to read as well and I generally only read short stories on airplanes when I can find nothing else--that is how good I feel this author is.
The book also looks at parenting and how we help and hurt our children without meaning to. I really felt that that was the theme of this book though few others seem to mention it. It is easy to love children too much or too little and to give them too much or too little and this story certainly illustrated this. When at the end Warren (the father) talks about his son (Dustin)he realizes, "In his own particular way Warren had devoted his life to helping him. But perhaps he'd needed something else, a devotion strong enough to refuse him."
In that way I felt it was more the parent's story instead of the three kids and as a parent myself it really told of the struggles one has doing what is best/right for our children. The picture of the author certainly made him look too young to have this kind of understanding but he hit it right on the head at least for me.
Great, great book--can't say enough
June 16, 2010
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.” I often think of this when reading a book like MODEL HOME. Sometimes it’s the characters and sometimes it’s the plot, but no matter what its redeeming qualities (and this book has some), the novel wants to drive you away.
So, what’s that “smell” in the case of MODEL HOME? Depression, chiefly. The book is a relentless downer. But if it’s art, why should that matter? True, but it does. Justice is no more blind than the book reviewer, and you do your best, but still – *sniff* -- what’s that funky smell?
Author Eric Puchner brings us the All-American family in the form of the Zillers – feckless father Warren, corny mother Camille, daring rocker Dustin, sad experimenter Lyle (a girl, thank you), and chiefly-ignored Jonas. They have moved to Southern California from staid Wisconsin, and each chapter features one of these protagonists with the exception of the weird waif, Jonas, who is saved as a plot device of sorts to be used later in the book (and God save us from characters that tick via a plot device!). Like most dads in our modern culture, Warren is one hapless screw-up of a loser – and lose he does, in the form of the family’s finances. The resulting train wreck takes no prisoners, as author Eric Puchner saves a vial of doom for each and every Ziller.
At about the halfway point, the novel goes from “dark” too “claustrophobic” as an explosion leads to Dustin becoming a burn victim. Cut down in the prime of life, the lad turns into the metaphoric equivalent of King Lear on the heath, spewing anger, bitterness, and gall. Alcoholism and guilt move in to this MODEL HOME, the smell of singed skin now blending with the smell of 3-day old fish. Here, with visions of NO EXIT dancing in his head, the reader begins to scout for escape routes. None seem evident. Husband and wife are torn asunder. Daughter Lyle goes looking for love in all the wrong places. Everyone ignores Jonas. And Dustin rots away, both inside and out.
Despite the full eclipse covering any semblance of optimism, Puchner DOES offer occasionally brilliant bits of writing. He trained as a short story writer, and he shows an attention to detail that gives one pause at times. For instance, Lyle is drawn to this obviously shallow but beautiful girl she works with named Shannon. When Lyle takes her plain friend Bethany to a party and they see Shannon there, Bethany does not understand Lyle’s fascination, but Puchner clearly does:
“Bethany did not understand [Lyle’s:] persistent friendship with Shannon. Lyle had tried to explain it, but the truth is she did not understand it herself. It had something to do with Shannon’s beauty. Not just the long, flattering, irresistible shadow it cast, but the loneliness hidden inside it like a pearl.”
Coming out of this book, I feel thankful for the fresh air (read: new book), but I can at least admit that Puchner is worth a second look. Here the depressing topic was like an anaconda, squeezing the very spirit out of this book -- at least for subjective old me. Under less dire circumstances, Puchner's writing might just take wing and fly. So maybe I'll go to the housewarming to the next house. Who knows? Puchner just might nail it with more positive vibes.
So, what’s that “smell” in the case of MODEL HOME? Depression, chiefly. The book is a relentless downer. But if it’s art, why should that matter? True, but it does. Justice is no more blind than the book reviewer, and you do your best, but still – *sniff* -- what’s that funky smell?
Author Eric Puchner brings us the All-American family in the form of the Zillers – feckless father Warren, corny mother Camille, daring rocker Dustin, sad experimenter Lyle (a girl, thank you), and chiefly-ignored Jonas. They have moved to Southern California from staid Wisconsin, and each chapter features one of these protagonists with the exception of the weird waif, Jonas, who is saved as a plot device of sorts to be used later in the book (and God save us from characters that tick via a plot device!). Like most dads in our modern culture, Warren is one hapless screw-up of a loser – and lose he does, in the form of the family’s finances. The resulting train wreck takes no prisoners, as author Eric Puchner saves a vial of doom for each and every Ziller.
At about the halfway point, the novel goes from “dark” too “claustrophobic” as an explosion leads to Dustin becoming a burn victim. Cut down in the prime of life, the lad turns into the metaphoric equivalent of King Lear on the heath, spewing anger, bitterness, and gall. Alcoholism and guilt move in to this MODEL HOME, the smell of singed skin now blending with the smell of 3-day old fish. Here, with visions of NO EXIT dancing in his head, the reader begins to scout for escape routes. None seem evident. Husband and wife are torn asunder. Daughter Lyle goes looking for love in all the wrong places. Everyone ignores Jonas. And Dustin rots away, both inside and out.
Despite the full eclipse covering any semblance of optimism, Puchner DOES offer occasionally brilliant bits of writing. He trained as a short story writer, and he shows an attention to detail that gives one pause at times. For instance, Lyle is drawn to this obviously shallow but beautiful girl she works with named Shannon. When Lyle takes her plain friend Bethany to a party and they see Shannon there, Bethany does not understand Lyle’s fascination, but Puchner clearly does:
“Bethany did not understand [Lyle’s:] persistent friendship with Shannon. Lyle had tried to explain it, but the truth is she did not understand it herself. It had something to do with Shannon’s beauty. Not just the long, flattering, irresistible shadow it cast, but the loneliness hidden inside it like a pearl.”
Coming out of this book, I feel thankful for the fresh air (read: new book), but I can at least admit that Puchner is worth a second look. Here the depressing topic was like an anaconda, squeezing the very spirit out of this book -- at least for subjective old me. Under less dire circumstances, Puchner's writing might just take wing and fly. So maybe I'll go to the housewarming to the next house. Who knows? Puchner just might nail it with more positive vibes.
May 5, 2010
Model Home was really depressing, but it was also really well written. I wish I knew how to describe it perfectly. It was easy for me to picture the characters in my head because they were right off the big screen in one of those movies I wish I could describe perfecly. Think "American Beauty" or "The Upside of Anger."
When life began to go wrong for Warren Ziller, the earth tilted off its axis for his entire family. His wife and each of his children unknowingly drifted to a new plane. One unfortunate thing was added to another and then another was stacked on top of that while some other disaster was being added from the other side. It was like watching a house of cards being built and knowing it was only a matter of time before it all came tumbling down.
"Lately, the smallest things had the power to crush or elate him."
"You've got your whole life ahead of you, people liked to say. In truth there was not much time, a blip, and most of what you did was a mistake."
And there you have it.
When life began to go wrong for Warren Ziller, the earth tilted off its axis for his entire family. His wife and each of his children unknowingly drifted to a new plane. One unfortunate thing was added to another and then another was stacked on top of that while some other disaster was being added from the other side. It was like watching a house of cards being built and knowing it was only a matter of time before it all came tumbling down.
"Lately, the smallest things had the power to crush or elate him."
"You've got your whole life ahead of you, people liked to say. In truth there was not much time, a blip, and most of what you did was a mistake."
And there you have it.
February 13, 2012
The first 100 or so pages drew me in. I was intrigued by the focus on a normal suburban family trying to hold it all together in the midst of an economic disaster, and I liked how each character had something about them that made them completely alone in the midst of their ostensibly happy family. I think that's something that a lot of people can relate to.
But toward the middle, the characters started to move into completely implausible directions, and then the major plot twist in the middle, which I wish I had never read and could strike from my memory, was just completely ludicrous. I mean, yes, I suppose these things happen in real life, but in the context of everything else? And the events that led up to the twist? Come on. The second half of the book was totally and completely depressing. I don't mind depressing and sad, in fact, I even like it when it helps me wallow or grieve about something in my own life that I've been needing to deal with. But this was just depressing in the way that walking past all the young adults wasting their lives getting stoned at the Haight Street entrance to Golden Gate Park is depressing. I don't need to read a book to get more of that.
But toward the middle, the characters started to move into completely implausible directions, and then the major plot twist in the middle, which I wish I had never read and could strike from my memory, was just completely ludicrous. I mean, yes, I suppose these things happen in real life, but in the context of everything else? And the events that led up to the twist? Come on. The second half of the book was totally and completely depressing. I don't mind depressing and sad, in fact, I even like it when it helps me wallow or grieve about something in my own life that I've been needing to deal with. But this was just depressing in the way that walking past all the young adults wasting their lives getting stoned at the Haight Street entrance to Golden Gate Park is depressing. I don't need to read a book to get more of that.
March 17, 2011
There is a great and fun-filled competition going on right now called The Tournament of Books, where a set of judges hold forth on 16 books published in 2010, from which they will pick a winner. I am using it as a way to catch up on books I meant to read last year. Model Home is one of the contenders.
This is a first novel by a Los Angeles assistant professor of literature at Claremont College. And it was an entertaining, dramatic story, mostly believable but in the end only as memorable as some movie I would get from Netflx and then forget a few weeks later. Still, it was fun in a depressing way while I read it.
Warren Ziller, a successful Midwestern realtor and happy family man, moves his family to Southern California in search of even bigger success and more happiness for his wife and three kids. He gets involved in a doomed real estate venture, over extends himself financially, and comes way too close to ruining their lives in the process.
There are lots of great bits: Dustin, the older son, aspiring to rock stardom with his garage band and to true love with his perfect blonde California girlfriend; Lyle, the middle daughter, who reads like I do, has pitch perfect teen speak, and falls for the Hispanic guard at the gate of their community; poor misunderstood eleven-year-old Jonas, some vaguely portrayed cross between possible Asperger's Syndrome and emotionally disturbed child.
Truly terrible things happen to all five of these people, but somehow they always have food to eat, a car to get around in, cell phones on which to call each other, medical care when needed, etc. If you live in Los Angeles (as I do) or Orange County or San Diego, you know Eric Puchner is telling the truth, mostly. But then again some things don't add up.
Would the dad who loved his kids so much really be that stupid? Would the mom, who seems to be such a nice Wisconsin woman, really be that clueless about poor Jonas? I could go on.
So actually I feel a little ashamed that I got so involved in this story because I now suspect that it was only a slight cut above a trashy novel. I think he did it with the writing which is skillful. Puchner can do humor, satire, emotion, and description all quite well. He has got the craft and he is circling around some good ideas about aspirations, family, happiness and American culture.
So, fine. I hope he gets to publish more novels. I would read them. He has a shot at the literary aspirations he clearly holds.
June 7, 2011
This book will depress the living heck out of you, if you let it. There are moments of snickering, but for the most part, it's about a family falling apart at the seams and trying desperately to put it back together again. And it's not just falling apart -- it's fragmenting, then decaying, then pieces are falling off along the side of the road while one family member or other patiently gathers then all back up.
The book is told from the point of view of each of the family members, allowing you to really get into the hearts of problems, the depths of the dreams, and the end results of the tragedies. You have everything from a band called Toxic Shock Syndrome to a father whose career has resorted to selling knives in trailer parks to a son who runs away and ends up smack in the middle of the craziest Dead Head concert followers I've ever heard of.
No, this isn't a knee-slapper, but it IS worth reading.
Recommended.
The book is told from the point of view of each of the family members, allowing you to really get into the hearts of problems, the depths of the dreams, and the end results of the tragedies. You have everything from a band called Toxic Shock Syndrome to a father whose career has resorted to selling knives in trailer parks to a son who runs away and ends up smack in the middle of the craziest Dead Head concert followers I've ever heard of.
No, this isn't a knee-slapper, but it IS worth reading.
Recommended.
April 20, 2010
Do you remember the movie Million Dollar Baby? It started out as a pretty kick ass movie about a female boxer and then all of a sudden became a pretty depressing film about right-to-die-politics? Well, Model Home kind of does the same thing.
It starts out as a slightly uncomfortable, but laugh-out-loud hilarious look at a quirky family in a financial crisis. Then, it becomes a harrowingly depressing look at how a family deals with a tragedy. And by "tragedy", I do mean tragedy. And by "deals with" I mean falls completely apart.
I love Puchner's writing (I was a big fan of his previous book of short storeis), but I felt tricked when this was over. If I had been more in the mood for something this depressing, I might have rated it better. If I had known it was as depressing as it is, I might not have read it all.
It starts out as a slightly uncomfortable, but laugh-out-loud hilarious look at a quirky family in a financial crisis. Then, it becomes a harrowingly depressing look at how a family deals with a tragedy. And by "tragedy", I do mean tragedy. And by "deals with" I mean falls completely apart.
I love Puchner's writing (I was a big fan of his previous book of short storeis), but I felt tricked when this was over. If I had been more in the mood for something this depressing, I might have rated it better. If I had known it was as depressing as it is, I might not have read it all.
April 23, 2011
In this odd little gem, we witness the evolution or devolution of an American family. At the start of the novel we meet Warren, a husband who is lying to his family about their financial situation, and his unhappy wife Camille. Then there is Dustin who is your typical teen, Lyle who is dating the Mexican guard in the families complex and Jonas who is just plain odd. Midway through something awful happens to the family. What drew me into this book was the quirky and interesting characters. I wanted to find out what happened to them even after I read the last page. This was an excellent read!
December 19, 2025
A great satirical novel and well executed story arc. When you think it can't get worse for the characters, it does, but the story ends with the contentment you hope for.
May 29, 2010
A quirky and astonishing novel, equal parts melancholy and humorous. I found myself comparing it to Jonathan Evison's All About Lulu--the 80s California setting, the offbeat characters and events, the occasionally heart-breaking prose struck similar chords. What Puchner does within these parameters is switch points of view, mostly effortlessly, between the five members of the Ziller family: dad Warren, mom Camille, oldest son Dustin, daughter Lyle, and youngest child Jonas. He wrings a lot of tension out of the dramatic irony: we know important information that other characters don't. A character will do something, and three pages later another character will witness the action yet not understand it as we do. But rather than ratcheting up a hokey sense of suspense, Puchner slowly turns the pressure up, and we are driven to care because we're invested in his characters. The tragedy that strikes the family--alluded to on the dust jacket flap--completely surprised me, and changed the story rather dramatically without throwing me off.
I will say that Warren, the father, whose dream of California bliss and riches comes up short, was at times the least compelling of the characters. The novel's events spin around Warren's choices and bad luck, and Puchner draws him well enough, but when I was reading about Warren, I found myself wanting to go back to the other characters. As for the ending...well, I'll leave that to others. But Model Home is an excellent read.
I will say that Warren, the father, whose dream of California bliss and riches comes up short, was at times the least compelling of the characters. The novel's events spin around Warren's choices and bad luck, and Puchner draws him well enough, but when I was reading about Warren, I found myself wanting to go back to the other characters. As for the ending...well, I'll leave that to others. But Model Home is an excellent read.
June 22, 2011
Bordering on absurdistly dark humor, while managing not to cross that line, Model Home had me holding back whoops of laughter while reading in public, then turning the page and choking back tears - identifying with its characters as they endured the slings and arrows of life.
Told from the third person perspective of late-aged teenagers, a sad child semi-intellectual, and a middle aged couple whose marriage is floundering, we see many of the misfortunes that pain the characters’ lives. Some are of their own making, but many aren’t, which really gets you thinking about just what the point of life really is. Parts of this made me think of Palahniuk when he’s being funny (but not so absurd), but I was also reminded of Douglas Coupland, and even Richard Ford – thanks to its stand-up lyricism and involvement in the ‘joys’ of being a realtor.
I’m only giving this a 4 star rating. Had it not been for my car breaking down, forcing me to take a long public transit ride in to work (1.5 hours each way!) it might have sat on my coffee table, read half way through, collecting dust until it was due at the library - after renewing it 2 times. I’m almost glad my car broke down now, though!
Told from the third person perspective of late-aged teenagers, a sad child semi-intellectual, and a middle aged couple whose marriage is floundering, we see many of the misfortunes that pain the characters’ lives. Some are of their own making, but many aren’t, which really gets you thinking about just what the point of life really is. Parts of this made me think of Palahniuk when he’s being funny (but not so absurd), but I was also reminded of Douglas Coupland, and even Richard Ford – thanks to its stand-up lyricism and involvement in the ‘joys’ of being a realtor.
I’m only giving this a 4 star rating. Had it not been for my car breaking down, forcing me to take a long public transit ride in to work (1.5 hours each way!) it might have sat on my coffee table, read half way through, collecting dust until it was due at the library - after renewing it 2 times. I’m almost glad my car broke down now, though!
August 17, 2011
The Short of It:
Puchner creates one of the most heartbreaking stories of our time. Sad and beautiful, its message resonates.
The Rest of It:
Dreaming of untold riches in the real estate market, Warren Ziller moves his family to a gated community in (Rancho) Palos Verdes, California. There, they live the American dream. Nice house, nice neighborhood. But Warren has a secret. The real estate development that he’s invested in has tanked, and his family has no idea what looms ahead.
Once in a while a book comes up out of nowhere and just slaps you in the face. I first heard about Model Home when it was featured in this year’s Tournament of Books. Simply put, it sounded like my kind of book. It was set in Southern California, it had all the family dynamics that I seem to crave, and dysfunction… lots of it. I expected to enjoy it, but I did not expect to love it as much as I did.
This book will break your heart.
You will re-read passages over and over again because Puchner’s writing is so exquisite. His writing is both beautiful and raw, which doesn’t even sound right when put together in one sentence.
The characters are so well-developed, that I cried for them. Their predicament is so dire at one point, so delicate and precarious that I had to pace my reading or be overwhelmed by grief.
If you search for reviews on this book, you’ll see that many found this book to be depressing. I didn’t. It’s an honest account of a family falling apart, but in many ways it’s hopeful too.
I want everyone to read this book. It’s my fave of the year (so far) and if you happen upon the interview with Eric Puchner, discussing the book, hold off on it until you’ve read it because it gives a huge plot point away!
For for reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter
Puchner creates one of the most heartbreaking stories of our time. Sad and beautiful, its message resonates.
The Rest of It:
Dreaming of untold riches in the real estate market, Warren Ziller moves his family to a gated community in (Rancho) Palos Verdes, California. There, they live the American dream. Nice house, nice neighborhood. But Warren has a secret. The real estate development that he’s invested in has tanked, and his family has no idea what looms ahead.
Once in a while a book comes up out of nowhere and just slaps you in the face. I first heard about Model Home when it was featured in this year’s Tournament of Books. Simply put, it sounded like my kind of book. It was set in Southern California, it had all the family dynamics that I seem to crave, and dysfunction… lots of it. I expected to enjoy it, but I did not expect to love it as much as I did.
This book will break your heart.
You will re-read passages over and over again because Puchner’s writing is so exquisite. His writing is both beautiful and raw, which doesn’t even sound right when put together in one sentence.
"You’ve got your whole life ahead of you, people liked to say. In truth. there was not much time, a blip, and most of what you did was a mistake. You were lucky to find a safe and proper home. In the end, even the world cast you out, withdrawing its welcome."
The characters are so well-developed, that I cried for them. Their predicament is so dire at one point, so delicate and precarious that I had to pace my reading or be overwhelmed by grief.
If you search for reviews on this book, you’ll see that many found this book to be depressing. I didn’t. It’s an honest account of a family falling apart, but in many ways it’s hopeful too.
I want everyone to read this book. It’s my fave of the year (so far) and if you happen upon the interview with Eric Puchner, discussing the book, hold off on it until you’ve read it because it gives a huge plot point away!
For for reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter
July 30, 2010
I read rave reviews about this book, so I think part of my disdain is due to being seriously disappointed. The author uses beautiful prose at times, but the depressing spiral of bad decisions, lies and unfortunate events by every member of the family was just over the top. I wish the book would have ended after Part I when the family confessed to each other, but it goes on and gets worse with no glimmer of hope for anyone. And it's not that everything needs to be rainbows and lollipops - it's just that there is no depth to the characters so it was very hard to understand exactly what drove them to make such bad decisions, thus making it unbelievable. Half way through Part II I questioned why I was still reading it...so I pressed on to see what would happen (Warren has a heart attack? Dustin commits suicide? What other horrific events can we squeeze into one book?)...and nothing. The book just ends, and I am left feeling mad that the first book I purchased on my Nook was terrible.
Two other minor annoyances: the inaccurate historical references others have mentioned (529 plans were NOT around in the mid-80's) and the cover (those kids are way younger than the characters in the book - is that supposed to be them before they moved to California?)
Two other minor annoyances: the inaccurate historical references others have mentioned (529 plans were NOT around in the mid-80's) and the cover (those kids are way younger than the characters in the book - is that supposed to be them before they moved to California?)
December 15, 2012
I loved this book. Eric Puchner's "Model Home" reminded me a little bit of the movie "American Beauty." It's not similar at all in plot or characters, but more in tone. Puchner write about the Ziller family, who seem to be perfect, living in a affluent California neighborhood in the 1980's, but who are really headed towards a complete disaster.
I don't want to give any of the plot away, as it really does go in unexpected directions. The thing that really got me about this book is the isolation of all of the characters. All of the main characters (parents, three kids, a few others) are all very isolated. There is no harmony in the family, before and after the various disasters in the book. It's a very lonely story with lonely, scared characters. I think this makes the book feel real and personal, as life is often a solitary venture, even when you have people all around you.
Puchner also scored big with humor. The book is as funny, as it is depressing. All of the characters were equally entertaining and could have each branched into their own book. I find it rare that all parts of a story are equally entertaining and Puchner totally pulls it off.
This is definitely a new author to watch.
http://www.alwayspackedforadventure.com
I don't want to give any of the plot away, as it really does go in unexpected directions. The thing that really got me about this book is the isolation of all of the characters. All of the main characters (parents, three kids, a few others) are all very isolated. There is no harmony in the family, before and after the various disasters in the book. It's a very lonely story with lonely, scared characters. I think this makes the book feel real and personal, as life is often a solitary venture, even when you have people all around you.
Puchner also scored big with humor. The book is as funny, as it is depressing. All of the characters were equally entertaining and could have each branched into their own book. I find it rare that all parts of a story are equally entertaining and Puchner totally pulls it off.
This is definitely a new author to watch.
http://www.alwayspackedforadventure.com
March 28, 2012
It was so nice to see someone do quirkiness right, and without overdoing it.
The youngest kid dresses entirely in orange, which makes you crack up when you first encounter him, but you later learn that he's one of those kids who generally has a lot of trouble with social norms, so you get to see both the comic and tragic sides of this kid's weird personality.
And this is just one small example of the multi-facetedness and three-dimensionality of all the characters in this book. The characters were excellent overall. And I really have to hand it to this author for successfully pulling off third person omniscient with at least five points of view, possibly six, and without the characters running together at all. I also didn't feel, with any of the characters, that I was just waiting around for it to be my favorite character's turn again. They were all interesting. That's very hard to accomplish with so many protagonists.
The plot gets pretty weird at times, especially later in the book. Strains believability a little bit in that sense, but I didn't mind.
Very engaging all the way through.
And no annoying language tics! Very rare.
A fun ride, despite the characters often ending up in depressing situations. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
The youngest kid dresses entirely in orange, which makes you crack up when you first encounter him, but you later learn that he's one of those kids who generally has a lot of trouble with social norms, so you get to see both the comic and tragic sides of this kid's weird personality.
And this is just one small example of the multi-facetedness and three-dimensionality of all the characters in this book. The characters were excellent overall. And I really have to hand it to this author for successfully pulling off third person omniscient with at least five points of view, possibly six, and without the characters running together at all. I also didn't feel, with any of the characters, that I was just waiting around for it to be my favorite character's turn again. They were all interesting. That's very hard to accomplish with so many protagonists.
The plot gets pretty weird at times, especially later in the book. Strains believability a little bit in that sense, but I didn't mind.
Very engaging all the way through.
And no annoying language tics! Very rare.
A fun ride, despite the characters often ending up in depressing situations. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
December 27, 2022
One of THE best books !
All the emotions came out on this one … loved how raw and real it was. And the character development of every single character was outstanding.
All the emotions came out on this one … loved how raw and real it was. And the character development of every single character was outstanding.
October 13, 2010
Outstanding. A modern tragedy: the story of a family unraveling. The characters really got into my head. I imagined a lot of it as a movie, with parts played by Claire from Six Feet Under as Lyle, Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite as Hector, and the dad from Malcolm in the Middle as Warren. I thoroughly enjoyed this book: quirky, sad, funny, surprising.
April 26, 2011
Another book from the 2011 Tournament of Books. Another novel about a family of unlikable people making each other's lives hell. Yay. Depressing, dreary...is this really what life is like in California? Is the nuclear family really so bad? (Why am I reading these books?)
May 15, 2021
4 stars because I feel hesitant about a 5th. I think it’s because the second half of the book erred too far on the depressing side for me. That being said, I think this novel was still kinda brilliant and I loved how it reminded me of something I my AP Lit teacher would’ve made us read. The best part to me was how well Puchner wrote human emotion- each character was super distinct from the others and felt really realistic.. you really get to read each characters mind which is super intriguing. Definitely recommend, especially if you don’t mind feeling sad and nostalgic.
January 4, 2019
A character-driven novel. I related to this solely because it was set in Palos Verdes Estates, CA with mentions of Torrance and the surrounding area. I liked being reminded of the community and street names. This story is of a lifes not well lived mixed with lots of turmoil in trying to live the american dream.
April 16, 2025
This is a book where I enjoyed the characters more than the story and that’s what kept me going. Everyone in this book was interesting to put it mildly lol.
December 9, 2023
Au début, on se dit que ça va parler de problème d'argent, mais wow, ça change complètement à la moitié du roman et l'histoire prend tout une twist! On s'attache aux personnages étrangement. À lire
May 2, 2025
Mid 80's - Ziller family lives in a gated California community. Warren Ziller has just lost his investments as a real estate developer. He's keeping this from the rest of the family, even though he knows, he'll be forced to move the family out. Through an unlucky incident, the family moves out to an empty model home in the middle of a desert, near to a toxic waste site. His kids and wife fall apart in the process. His wife suspects her husband of an affair. Warren tries the best he can to disassociate from the reality as does the rest of his broken family. A truly rich, emotive, and darkly comedic novel, one that brings to light a family unit's resilience under extreme circumstances.
April 21, 2021
This book has been on my shelf for several years. I’m not sure what made me suddenly decide to read it, but I’m glad I did. I have so much admiration for authors who write as skillfully as this one—this book had such an interesting plot, complex characters, and was just beautifully crafted.
November 25, 2025
my new favorite author!
August 15, 2010
There are two legitimate reasons to write: 1) You have something to say. 2) You are in the process of thinking, and writing helps make clarity out of chaos. In the first instance you would want, in some way, to publish (make public) what you’ve written. In the second instance you’ll want to keep thoughts private as you work yourself towards understanding. In either case, if you think your thought has value, it is advantageous to have a record of this soul work—your mind’s creative work.
Having read Model Home (2010) by Eric Puchner, a professor of Literature at Claremont MeKenna College, in Southern California, two more reasons occurred to me, not quite so legitimate: 1) You must write and publish because it is part of your job description. 2) You want to have a prestigious answer to the question, “What do you do?” And you think, “I write,” is cool.
My first thoughts when I began reading Model Home were, Puchner was a creative writing teacher and must publish for job security and school recognition; and/or he wrote a novel for screen adaptation, the next Vacation (1983) which was originally a short story published by National Lampoon, and written by John Hughes in 1958 as a fictionalized version of his trip to Disneyland. Model Home seems to be a collection of exaggerated incidents tricked up with clever writing, quirky characters, and near slap-stick comedy, cobbled together into a story. But then the novel turned dark and depressing—so depressing I had to skim much of it.
What this novel really is reason number two of the legitimate—Puchner is trying to figure some things out. In interviews and promos for the book, he said repeatedly: “I didn’t know what the novel was about.” I do. It is about “… a universe of suck,” (pg. 9) a statement from one of his central characters, a teen girl. Here is a major problem: All five members of her family, all major characters, not only share that worldview, but share a personality as well—that of a neurotic introvert; and thus the severe depressive tone of the novel (despite Puchner’s attempts at humor.) The family pet, a dog, is a metaphor for this. The dog is old, listless, and dying. There is nothing more depressing than watching a dog slowly die. Moreover, the characters repeat vignettes. The father does a B & E on his son’s girlfriend’s house. The boyfriend of the daughter does a B & E on his girlfriend’s house. The daughter gets severely burned. The older son gets severely burned. The younger sister of the girlfriend is a copy of the daughter. There is duplication after duplication, of characters and events.
What Puchner is apparently trying to work out is his own understanding of his childhood and a father that was not up to the task of providing for, or loving, his family, and the consequences of that. To that sad story, he joined an incident of an acquaintance being severely burned that stuck with him. The story fails miserably as a reason to write and publish – you have something to say. This novel isn’t about family, or love, or the American dream. It doesn’t have anything to say about those issues – only confusion. It is about a universe that sucks and that is depressing, and inaccurate. This novel is, in short, a work in progress, or, an inane screen play that would probably do well at the box office.
It is not that Puchner can’t compose a readable sentence, or “turn a phrase.” He can. It is just that he is confused. That comes through in the personalities of all the characters and in the story itself. In other words, there is no big idea here, no theme … other than things suck. Maybe that is why the novel has been well received—things suck and most people are confused. But, maybe the causation is backwards. It is not that people are confused because things suck – things suck because people are confused. Model Home adds to the confusion. Writing is a wonderful tool for clarification – the antidote to confusion – it turns chaos into clarity.¬¬
Having read Model Home (2010) by Eric Puchner, a professor of Literature at Claremont MeKenna College, in Southern California, two more reasons occurred to me, not quite so legitimate: 1) You must write and publish because it is part of your job description. 2) You want to have a prestigious answer to the question, “What do you do?” And you think, “I write,” is cool.
My first thoughts when I began reading Model Home were, Puchner was a creative writing teacher and must publish for job security and school recognition; and/or he wrote a novel for screen adaptation, the next Vacation (1983) which was originally a short story published by National Lampoon, and written by John Hughes in 1958 as a fictionalized version of his trip to Disneyland. Model Home seems to be a collection of exaggerated incidents tricked up with clever writing, quirky characters, and near slap-stick comedy, cobbled together into a story. But then the novel turned dark and depressing—so depressing I had to skim much of it.
What this novel really is reason number two of the legitimate—Puchner is trying to figure some things out. In interviews and promos for the book, he said repeatedly: “I didn’t know what the novel was about.” I do. It is about “… a universe of suck,” (pg. 9) a statement from one of his central characters, a teen girl. Here is a major problem: All five members of her family, all major characters, not only share that worldview, but share a personality as well—that of a neurotic introvert; and thus the severe depressive tone of the novel (despite Puchner’s attempts at humor.) The family pet, a dog, is a metaphor for this. The dog is old, listless, and dying. There is nothing more depressing than watching a dog slowly die. Moreover, the characters repeat vignettes. The father does a B & E on his son’s girlfriend’s house. The boyfriend of the daughter does a B & E on his girlfriend’s house. The daughter gets severely burned. The older son gets severely burned. The younger sister of the girlfriend is a copy of the daughter. There is duplication after duplication, of characters and events.
What Puchner is apparently trying to work out is his own understanding of his childhood and a father that was not up to the task of providing for, or loving, his family, and the consequences of that. To that sad story, he joined an incident of an acquaintance being severely burned that stuck with him. The story fails miserably as a reason to write and publish – you have something to say. This novel isn’t about family, or love, or the American dream. It doesn’t have anything to say about those issues – only confusion. It is about a universe that sucks and that is depressing, and inaccurate. This novel is, in short, a work in progress, or, an inane screen play that would probably do well at the box office.
It is not that Puchner can’t compose a readable sentence, or “turn a phrase.” He can. It is just that he is confused. That comes through in the personalities of all the characters and in the story itself. In other words, there is no big idea here, no theme … other than things suck. Maybe that is why the novel has been well received—things suck and most people are confused. But, maybe the causation is backwards. It is not that people are confused because things suck – things suck because people are confused. Model Home adds to the confusion. Writing is a wonderful tool for clarification – the antidote to confusion – it turns chaos into clarity.¬¬
April 3, 2010
Here come the Zillers, one downright, spiraling-out-of-control, crazy family where the only normal signs of life seem to be the family dog, known as Mr. Leonard, and an occasional fleeting peacock. This Palos Verdes, California, party of five will have you cringing from their language, gasping at their way of life, and laughing at their witty moments.
Model Home details the desperate meltdown -- financially, emotionally -- of a 1980's family like no other, at least not resembling one I've ever known. Trust me, you'll be wondering what on Earth the next ridiculous action will be from a few of the main personalities, all the while your heart just breaking for a few other character victims.
So as I listen to the classic Tom Petty's "Learning To Fly" as I write this review, I must say the heart of this book is a testament to life choices and actions and how those decisions may ultimately determine your life experiences, your fate, and the destiny of others.
It is a story laced with perceptions, how one person views something and how another views it entirely differently, and perhaps, like the Ziller family, with tragic consequences.
To me, Model Home is a novel with a deep moral, a message intertwined with the importance of truthfulness, and the circumstances and outcomes realized when the truth is hidden...and when it is set free.
The Mindful Readers were fortunate to have Model Home and Music Through The Floor author Eric Puchner join our discussion via telephone, where he graciously answered our grilling questions and listened to our thoughts and perceptions of his novel. With irony and a little chuckle from us all, it was interesting to see how I eagerly, yet unsuccessfully, tried to tie in a metaphor here and there in a book where none existed. But, hey, there it is: My impression, my perception, took me for a ride while differing greatly from another. Mission accomplished, Eric Puchner. Very "awe-much." You're one cool dude. And Model Home is one good book.
Model Home details the desperate meltdown -- financially, emotionally -- of a 1980's family like no other, at least not resembling one I've ever known. Trust me, you'll be wondering what on Earth the next ridiculous action will be from a few of the main personalities, all the while your heart just breaking for a few other character victims.
So as I listen to the classic Tom Petty's "Learning To Fly" as I write this review, I must say the heart of this book is a testament to life choices and actions and how those decisions may ultimately determine your life experiences, your fate, and the destiny of others.
It is a story laced with perceptions, how one person views something and how another views it entirely differently, and perhaps, like the Ziller family, with tragic consequences.
To me, Model Home is a novel with a deep moral, a message intertwined with the importance of truthfulness, and the circumstances and outcomes realized when the truth is hidden...and when it is set free.
The Mindful Readers were fortunate to have Model Home and Music Through The Floor author Eric Puchner join our discussion via telephone, where he graciously answered our grilling questions and listened to our thoughts and perceptions of his novel. With irony and a little chuckle from us all, it was interesting to see how I eagerly, yet unsuccessfully, tried to tie in a metaphor here and there in a book where none existed. But, hey, there it is: My impression, my perception, took me for a ride while differing greatly from another. Mission accomplished, Eric Puchner. Very "awe-much." You're one cool dude. And Model Home is one good book.
September 3, 2010
This book, thematically, reminded me of "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything". Similarly, "Model Home" is about the expectations and sense of entitlement that upper middle class America developed in the latter decades of the twentieth century. But "All We Ever Wanted" was set in early 2000s, when entitlement and high living standards were a common part of the mentality. "Model Home" is set in 1983, when those ideas were just taking root.
However, those idea of wealth, lifestyle and entitlement are what drives the Ziller family through this book. As they go from a McMansion in a gated community, to a model home near a toxic waste facility in Palmdale, they see their family fall apart and come together. As each member of the family discovers themselves under new circumstances, they have to decide how to handle these new people they are now living with. This was a gripping, well written book, with amazingly multilayered characters. And while it starts out with a limited world view - that of the early 1980s entitled class - it spins outward to show us a bigger picture of Southern California. As the Zillers go beyond their gated community, so we go with them to trailer parks, desert wasteland, and Grateful Dead concerts. This is a very smart, insightful novel.
However, those idea of wealth, lifestyle and entitlement are what drives the Ziller family through this book. As they go from a McMansion in a gated community, to a model home near a toxic waste facility in Palmdale, they see their family fall apart and come together. As each member of the family discovers themselves under new circumstances, they have to decide how to handle these new people they are now living with. This was a gripping, well written book, with amazingly multilayered characters. And while it starts out with a limited world view - that of the early 1980s entitled class - it spins outward to show us a bigger picture of Southern California. As the Zillers go beyond their gated community, so we go with them to trailer parks, desert wasteland, and Grateful Dead concerts. This is a very smart, insightful novel.
April 2, 2015
Oh, this book. MODEL HOME falls pretty squarely under the “family saga” novel – similar in scope to, say, THE MIDDLESTEINS or Jonathan Tropper’s THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU. But for a myriad of reasons – its big-heartedness, its seamless multitude of voices, its fierce humor and grace – MODEL HOME has stuck with me even more than other novels of its ilk.
There’s a lot to love about the book – the way that it manages to be both funny and infused, especially in the second half of the book, with a melancholy that allows Puchner to capture the minutiae of strained familial relationships to an eerie degree. His dialogue, his attention to detail, his grace, and the pure dance of his sentences are incredible. This is the bummer about doing reviews sometimes – how you’re just not going to be able to do a certain book justice.
How about this, then: One of the most moving, tender, funny, sad novels I’ve read in years. And beyond that: I miss the characters in MODEL HOME now that I’m done with the book. If that’s not some kind of watermark for literature, I don’t know what is. Recommended.
There’s a lot to love about the book – the way that it manages to be both funny and infused, especially in the second half of the book, with a melancholy that allows Puchner to capture the minutiae of strained familial relationships to an eerie degree. His dialogue, his attention to detail, his grace, and the pure dance of his sentences are incredible. This is the bummer about doing reviews sometimes – how you’re just not going to be able to do a certain book justice.
How about this, then: One of the most moving, tender, funny, sad novels I’ve read in years. And beyond that: I miss the characters in MODEL HOME now that I’m done with the book. If that’s not some kind of watermark for literature, I don’t know what is. Recommended.
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