Family Complexity: A Book Review of The House

My Review of  The House by Anjuelle Floyd:

The House by Anjuelle Floyd is an intricate book that deals with the myriad emotions that come with family. It spirals through complicated relationships as they display across the pages in the wake of a tragedy.

Anna is trying to divorce her husband, Edward, but he is fighting her over the disposition of their house. When he suddenly capitulates on everything, she discovers he is dying of cancer. This revelation comes as a shock and she halts the divorce and moves him back into their house. With this decision, Anna must face her buried feelings, her past and decide her future.

The House is a well-written novel with vibrant characters. The book deals at its heart with the most basic of subjects: family relationships. The complex interaction between the characters as they confront their history and the death that surrounds them is what keeps you reading. I can’t say I always liked the characters, or agreed with their choices, but that’s what made them compelling; they felt real and that is where the true strength of the novel lies.

The book isn’t perfect, however. Its weak points fall in the plotline, which sometimes stretches itself a bit thin, especially toward the end. I felt there may have been a few too many convenient happenstances used; it felt, to me, as a bit unnecessary and sliding to improbable.

Still, overall The House is captivating, and I can recommend the novel as a satisfying read.


You find more on The House here:  http://www.anjuellefloyd.com/books/the-house/

or check it out at Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9535419-the-house

Ms. Floyd's website:  http://www.anjuellefloyd.com/

Just a note:  I received a free copy of this book for review.

Another of Ms. Floyd's books:
Keeper of Secrets: Translations of an Incident

A Book of Bittersweet, Sublime Creation: A Review of Keeper of Secrets...Translations of an Incident

My review of Keeper of Secrets...Translations of an Incident by Anjuelle Floyd

The stories in Keeper of Secrets...Translations of an Incident, are about what goes unspoken in relationships as much as they are about communication.  The author, Anjuelle Floyd, plays with delightful phrasing, spinning the reader into an enigmatic world of guarded implication, daring the reader to discover the deeper meaning veiled in the words.

"She closed her eyes, saw them flickering green, and herself, Raven, dancing in a ring of fire."

Keeper of Secrets is a collection of eight stories, all connected in some way by an incident that occurs in the first story.  Every story flows along certain themes of inner conflict and resolution, melding into an entirety, while still maintaining each story as a stand-alone narrative.

I found some of the stories worked slightly better than others, but they were all engaging and compelling.  The book plays out as a mosaic, each story a section of a beautiful picture, yet enjoyable on its own merit.  The book explores sadness, regret, secrets and poignant struggles as each character tries to cope with or solve an emotional dilemma that plagues their lives.

"The omnipresence of Jack’s love was imposing.  It had taken everything within Ariane to accept the bracelet and Jack’s accompanying affection."

I enjoyed this book. I liked the lyrical, spiritual quality that trickled from the pages and the complicated, yet hopeful attributes of the characters.  It’s the type of book that you sink into and swirls around your senses.  I can easily recommend it.

Keeper of Secrets...Translations of an Incident is available on Amazon.com

About the Author:

Anjuelle Floyd is a wife of twenty-seven years, mother of three, licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in mother-daughter relations and dream work.  A graduate of Duke University, she received her MA in Counseling Psychology from The California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco. She has attended the Dominican Institute of Philosophy and Theology, Berkeley, California, and received her MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College, Port Townsend, Washington. She has received certificates of participation from The Hurston-Wright Writers’ Week and The Voices of Our Nations Writing Workshops. She teaches online fiction classes at Perelandra College.

Author website:  http://www.anjuellefloyd.com/