Town House

by Tish Cohen

Jack Madigan should be leading an enviable life. He’s the sole heir of a ’70s rock icon. He lives with his retro-obsessed teenage son, Harlan, in a once-magnificent Boston town house. But now 36, Jack’s painting career is buckling under a raging case of agoraphobia. And when the foreclosure notice arrives, Jack must face losing the only home he’s ever known—and his only safe zone. When Jack’s ex-wife announces that Harlan would be better off living with her and her vitamin-enriched fiancé, Jack has to figure out how to deter the perky, inexperienced real-estate agent, hold on to his house, keep his son at home, and—through the tenacity of the little girl next door—finally step out onto the sidewalk. Fox 2000 swooped in to pre-empt the film rights while Town House was still on submission to publishers. Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions is set to produce the movie and Pulitzer Prize-winning screenwriter Doug Wright ( Memoirs of a Geisha ) is adapting the screenplay. A book with the ability to both entertain and move us, Town House is a smart, acerbic novel bursting with heart and quirky charm.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Contemporary, Mental Health, Humor, Book Club

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
Anais Nin quote from Oprah's website inspired Tish Cohen to write her first adult novel.

Tish Cohen is the author of TOWN HOUSE, a 2008 finalist for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize – Best First Book Award (Canada and Caribbean region), and in development as a feature film with Fox 2000. Ridley Scott’s Scott Free is producing and John Carney, the award-winning, critically acclaimed director of ONCE is directing. TOWN HOUSE was released to massive media interest in Canada and has been published in Italy and will soon be released in Germany.

Cohen has also written the middle-grade novels THE INVISIBLE RULES OF ZOE LAMA, and its sequel THE ONE AND ONLY ZOE LAMA

Cohen has contributed articles to some of Canada’s largest newspapers, including The Globe and Mail and The National Post. Having grown up in Los Angeles, Orange County and Montreal, Cohen now calls Toronto home. INSIDE OUT GIRL is Cohen’s second novel for adults.

Reviews

[Annet · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delicious, funny book! Made me smile, made me laugh. the one eyed cat with the little house on the prairie bonnet... really! Great characters, great story! I'm sure this is going to be a movie at some point, hope John Cusack is in it... and Ozzie as the dad? :-)

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started off slow. Really slow. But the Lucie and Dorrie appear, and suddenly I was laughing out loud at some parts, and smiling at the cute moments happening completely out of Jack's control.

If you don't mind powering through the first few chapters, this story is absolutely worth the read. It was satisfying, heartwarming, and wrapped up nicely in the end.

[Shawna Spinks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read! I loved the quirky characters and the sarcastic side of Jack. It will be a great movie, can't wait to see who plays Jack and Harlan.

[Christie (The Ludic Reader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can’t help but think that Tish Cohen is going for Hollywood with her novel Town House. There’s the wacky ensemble cast: Jack Madigan, son of deceased rock legend Baz Madigan; Jack’s son, the eccentric stuck-in-the-70′s teen, Harlan; Jack’s ex-wife, Penelope, and her soon- to- be new husband, Yale; the strangely mature girl-next-door, Lucinda and Dorrie, the real estate agent so inept and adorable you just know she and Jack will end up together. (It will come as no surprise that Town House is, in fact, destined for the big screen.

As for the plot, well, Jack’s agoraphobic; he can’t leave the house without having a meltdown – so he doesn’t leave. He rigs up a ‘groper’ to retrieve the paper and the mail; Harlan looks after the groceries and Jack lives quite happily in the huge (albeit, slightly decrepit) Boston town house his father left for him. The hilarity starts when the money stops and the bank decides that the house must be sold.

Town House isn’t all that funny, though. Sure, it ticks along, but the characters didn’t really interest me. And some of the plot twists just seemed contrived and unrealistic. I absolutely hated the ending. Cue music, already.

Sometimes the plot seems to be pointing in one direction – for example Jack is apparently a master paint mixer. He has discovered (and understands) the perfect white. A subplot involving that goes nowhere. Also, I thought his love-interest was spineless. And, despite his illness, of which, I admit, I know nothing, Jack isn’t all that likable. How is he, after all, able to bust free of his illness when Lucinda needs him, but can’t do the same for his own son?

So – I didn’t love this book. It was moderately entertaining, and might make an amusing film, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

[ℕ I C O L E · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel that I randomly picked up at the library turned out to be a surprisingly entertaining read. Not a novel that requires much thinking, but entertaining nonetheless.

This is a story about a father who is afraid to leave his security blanket-esque house, his son who has a penchant for the 70's and whose mantra is "uncool is the new cool", their disfigured cat with a sexually ambiguous name, and the various people who enter their lives.

Tish Cohen has a knack for creating amusing descriptions. I couldn't help but smile while reading and for me, a book that can do that is a rare find. (N.Miller 2007)

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cast of characters! The agoraphobic son of a rock star, the rock star himself who dies after being bitten by a snapping turtle, the little girl next door who pretends to be a dog, the real estate agent who wears exceedingly large thrift store shoes... throw these folks into a compelling, well-written story and you've got a book that will stay with you long after you turned the last page.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read; it was quirky and funny. I liked the story of the "father-daughter" relationship and the fact that it took place in Boston.

[Carol Ann Arseneault · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the Big Rothesay Read reveal for 2013 and I am starting my copy tonight!

[Madame Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an unexpected heartwarming and funny story of a man picking up the pieces in his life.

[Cindy Selanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found a new favorite author, love her style of writing. Great book!

[Mary B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Town House is a fun, lively read with quirky characters that quickly capture a reader's heart. Jack Madigan, son of famous rock-n-roller Baz Madigan, is an agoraphobic living in his childhood home with his son Harlan. Surviving off of royalty checks, Jack and Harlan are getting by just fine until the money begins to dry up. When this happens, they find themselves facing eviction from the bank who is trying to sell the very marketable house. Enter Dorrie Alsop, the real estate agent given the sale. Dorrie is a first-time agent whose knack for talking too much and pointing out the negative characteristics of a house makes her the perfect choice in Jack's opinion. Plagued by Dorrie's constant appearances at the home and a pesky little girl who lives next door, Jack feels like his life is falling apart. Little does he know that these people who are falling into his life will be the ones who change it forever.
Tish Cohen did a fabulous job building her cast of characters in this book. Jack began as a strange boring man with a pathetic attachment to his home and turned into a sympathy-inducing, lovable fellow who simply can't move forward in his life after the loss of his father. His unusual penchant for white paint and his love for his '70's time-warped son make him real and a reader can't help but root for him to win in his quest against the bank. In a similar fashion, Dorrie Alsop is the perfect counterpart for Jack. She is rough around the edges and desperate to prove herself to a family filled with overachievers. Her modest attempts to make the right choices in the real estate world are endearing and her oblivion when it comes to Jack is amazing. Adding a final piece to the puzzle of Jack's life is the little girl who lives next-door to him. Lucinda is painfully neglected by her parents and desperate for attention, she is drawn to the strange hermit who lives next door. Forcefully inserting herself into his life while knowing that he can't run away, she captures Jack's heart and creates a feeling in him that leads him to begin breaking boundaries. These lovable characters can only make the story so interesting though and this is where the book begins to unravel a bit. While the setting joins the characters in it's fantastic detail, the plot is incredibly predictable and this makes the story a bit boring at times. The middle of the book has several spots where the story drags and there seems to be a lot of filler involving pointless meetings with Jack's psychologist which result in no progress at all for Jack or the story. If not for the engaging characters, this book would have been a complete dud with a repetitive set of events that do not capture the readers attention at all. For this reason, I can only rate Town House with 3 stars or a grade of "C". I would recommend it to readers who are looking for something light to fill the time however if you are looking for a story with a little meat you will be sorely disappointed.

[Weng Cahiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say except that this book reads like a movie. And when I did search for more information about this book, I found out that there is indeed a movie in the makings and Zach Galifinakis and Amy Adams will be playing the main characters. The funny thing was, when I was reading this book on a lazy Sunday morning in the comfort of my bed, I imagined Zach as Jack Madigan, son of the famous, turtle-eating rockstar Baz Madigan. (Or maybe it’s because I just finished watching It’s Kind of a Funny Story the night before). Jack is an agoraphobic. He can’t even step out of his porch to fetch his newspaper. So how does he live? Well, there’s his dead father’s royalties and his son with an eccentric fashion sense, Harlan.

But then, life forces Jack to finally step out of his house and his shell. The bank is foreclosing and his house is on the verge of being taken away from him. Also, his ex-wife does not only gets married again but also threatens to lure away his son with promises of a laid-back life in California. Not to mention that he has two frequent, albeit unwelcome guests on his house: Dorrie Alsop, the real estate agent and Lucinda, next-door neighbor kid who is neglected by her parents.

The characters are lovable although they are flawed in their own ways. You can’t help but cheer Jack on (“Get out of the house goddamnit! Get the newspaper!”) and admire Harlan’s no-bullshit approach on fashion and life itself. Sure, this book is not heavy on aspects that make a great book when it comes to depth and structure and tone and language. But sometimes, it’s the simplest of the storyline that gets to you. How human the characters are and how they are able to rise above the problems life has thrown into them. I really wish I could read more of these kinds of books in the future.

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second Tish Cohen book. I must say I started reading it without expecting anything and knowing only that it was about an agoraphobe.
Although I found myself lost in the first 2-3 chapters... a little unsure how things fit together (I didn't realized that the chapters were skipping between generations). Once I oriented myself timewise however, I LOVED the book.

I have never read a book so saturated with humour and sarcasm! And despite my laughing out loud in public cafes (while other patrons looked at me all weird), it still held a very good plot and was an honest and deep look into the life of someone who is afraid to step outside of his home.

How do you understand the world, navigate the world, if you're scared to step foot in it?

Jack is deathly afraid of going outside of his family home; and because of that he has not worked anywhere, living solely on the money his deceased father left him. When this money dwindles down his house is put on the market. The book is rich with quirky characters: Jack's ex-wife and her 'active' husband-to-be, Harlan (Jack's teenage son) who is everything-70s, the clumsy and chatty real-estate agent, his disfigured cat, the sleepy and completely uninterested psychiatrist, and a neglected little neighbourhood girl. This book is honest and silly, it is happy and very sad. It looks at society and the hurt that can take place when children grow up without their parents, or have to grow up to help their parents. The innocence and intrigue of the Anne-of-GreenGable-ish little neighbourhood girl brings light to the inner-struggles of Jacks daily life.

A must read for sure!

I will be reading Tish Cohen's other books for sure!

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine the perfect townhouse in Boston’s south end; cathedral ceilings, black and white marble floors throughout the kitchen and hallway. Four floors, five bedrooms – butler’s pantry, dumbwaiter, three fireplaces, and entire floor that is a stage theater. It’s a dream home, and for his whole life, it has belonged to Jack Madigan.

Jack’s father died when he was five after suffering a fatal case of jaundice when he got bit by the snapping turtle he was planning on eating on stage. Baz Madigan was the lead singer for the Bazmatics, THE premier dirt metal rock and roll band in the seventies known for eating live rodents on stage. The turtle was an attempt to step it up a notch…but the turtle bit first.

Since then, Jack’s been living off his father’s dwindling royalties and in the now crumbling townhouse – and living there only. Literally. Jack’s agoraphobic and never leaves the house – and is perfectly content to wander around in his dirty bathrobe drinking wine from whatever clean glass he can find…taking tepid baths and stealing heat from the brownstone next door.

But when he can’t make the payments on his house the bank loses patience on the deliquencies and his

TownHouse combines the wry humor of Nick Hornby’s About a Boy with the polished and down to earth writing of Tom Perotta’s suburban novels. Charming, witty, and smart.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the library because it was on a table of books by Canadian authors. I hadn't read anything by Cohen before.

I enjoyed it. I liked the writing style. Given the subject matter, at times the book was funny.

The story was interesting. Though I have no problem leaving the house and have never known anyone who has agoraphobia, Jack did and I could feel his panic and fear when he tried to. He wanted to overcome it so much but couldn't.

I liked the characters. All were quirky in their own way. Jack's father had been a singer (I pictured a young Alice Cooper) before he died in an unfortunate accident when Jack was a kid. Jack felt the loss of his dad all his life. Jack's teenage son, Harlan, was great ... a funny kid. He knows his dad has a problem and, though he encourages him to get better, takes such good care of him. I was concerned that Lucinda, the little girl next door, would be annoying but she wasn't. She had a wacky family who neglected her and was a good friend to Jack. Dorrie, the real estate agent, sounded like a ditz who realized she kind of realized she was but didn't realize how much.

I'd recommend this book if you are looking for something quirky about an unusual topic.

Blog review: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2012/04...

[Lydia Laceby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally Reviewed at Novel Escapes

Town House was a fun, quirky novel. It was witty, full of tender moments, laughs and unforgettable characters. The characters were so well drawn, which they had to be as much of the novel takes place in one location – the Town House - that I could picture them perfectly and many will be remain memorable.

Cohen deftly draws the characters in Town House, making this ensemble of eccentrics unforgettable. Their flaws make them seem real and recognizable and the townhouse itself seems to be a character with its own unique personality and history. I could picture them all perfectly and the plot, although predictable, rolled along smoothly.

This novel held emotion as well as humour, from Jack’s struggle with his fear, to the love for his son and the flame still burning for ex-wife. His tenderness towards the little girl next door, Lucinda, who was probably my favourite character, was touching and I loved their relationship.

I look forward to reading more Tish Cohen and can’t wait to pick up The Truth About Delilah Blue sitting in my to-be-read pile!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I initially picked this one because of the cover illustration. A bit hard to get into initially: the transition from Baz in the past to Jack in the present was very abrupt, seemed to revolve around information that hadn’t actually been provided. I wondered why I should care about Jack. But slowly the different characters were fleshed out, and especially the introduction of Lucie made things more interesting. I ultimately enjoyed the novel, although perhaps things turned out too snugly. On the other hand, Jack sending Harlan back to his mother on the West Coast to help him overcome his own phobias was touching and an interesting wrinkle.

[Mary Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are in search of a laugh out loud funny book, search no more. This is The Accidental Tourist meets Woody Allen. The main character, Jack Madigan, has panic attacks at the thought of going outside. But his Beacon Hill town house is being sold out from under him, so he must move. Other characters complete the picture, including the little girl next door, who befriends Jack.
I never would have read this gem if my husband hadn't given it to me on a whim. Really, this is going to be one of my favorite books this year.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read about a character as unique as Jack Madigan and his agoraphobia. His disibility is interesting not only in itself but intrigueing in the way that makes you wonder how an agoraphobe functions with any normalcy, and that's the premise of this book. Though there's not much the book has to offer with exciting plot lines, it's Jack and son that captivate you and make you want to read in hopes of a happy ending. A great character book.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Canadian Tish Cohen was the writer chosen by The Great Rothesay Reads, founded to encourage high school students, especially boy to read. She is very funny and dramatic. I attended the public talk and a writers' workshop. SHe writes about those with mental illness and the characters surrounding their lives; hard to say who is sane. It may become a movie.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I have read a book with such well developed characters.There was not single stereotype or cliche in this book.Tish Cohen's talent shines through totally in this novel,which is a huge achievement considering she wrote it in 3 and 1/2 weeks.

[Jeannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was chosen for our book club and I was grateful, I don't think I would have chosen it on my own but truly enjoyed it and liked the characters, especially the neighbor girl. I would recommend this book.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As another person said, I picked this up randomly at the library, having never heard of the author before. Really liked the book, with its eccentric characters. Will look for other books by the same author.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

About what I was expecting: light, amusing, but not unpredictable. Then again, unpredictability is not why you read, or watch, romantic comedies. You know what's going to happen, and that's kind of comforting.

[Cj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully light, and enjoyable story about a person dealing with a difficult struggle. Loved the characters, and the descriptions made me feel like I was right there. I would totally recommend this book.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great summer read. Loved the characters, especially little Lucinda.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book; I thought parts of it were very funny. I especially liked his relationship with his son and his foibles with the Groper.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick easy read with engaging characters. Supposedly a movie is being made from this. I think it will make an even better movie

[Liz Esse Kahrs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Tish has created wonderful characters and an excellent story. I'm always buying Town House and giving it to friends.