Two things you should know about my thoughts onHousekeeping:1) I thinkHousekeepingis a great book.2) FinishingHousekeepinggave me a palpable sense of relief.Housekeepingis darker and more intense than the author’s better-knownGilead. The former is also a tougher read; even the most careful reader would,I imagine, find herself returning to some passages a few times in an attempt to follow the beautiful but difficult language. So while I don’t regret reading a tough and rewarding novel, by any stretch, there were moments when I felt like I was reading the damn book because it was good for me but not very much fun. And even though I marked andwill later photocopy some passages, and I would gladly recommend Housekeeping to anyone up for a caliginous and meticulous exploration of loss, depth, and identity, I’d sure as hell point out the ride wasn’t going to be easy.Not a resounding recommendation, eh? Well, I’m giving the book four stars, more than I give most books, and I might read the book again someday.Housekeepingseems like the type of book I’d want to read again. And although the psychological and metaphorical (I’m deathly afraid of drowning, thank you very much, and underwater metaphors lurk on just about every page) explorations are intense, the book will haunt me in ways that I can appreciate for the foreseeable future. Check it out. You are warned.
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