The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

Because if we don't save each other, how can we begin to save ourselves? Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock's extraordinary, stunning debut is both moving, and deeply authentic. Four very different lives are about to become entangled. Hank is running away for the sake of his brothers. Alyce is staying at home to please her parents. Dora wishes she was invisible to her abusive father. Ruth wants to be remembered by her grieving mother. Alaska, 1970: growing up here is like nowhere else. Because if we don't save each other, how can we begin to save ourselves? Num Pages: 272 pages. Each character was clearly defined and so sympathetic, that I found myself tearing through the pages and finishing the book in record time.Īn unexpected and phenomenal debut, THE SMELL OF OTHER PEOPLE’S HOUSES should be on everyone’s TBR list.Description for The Smell of Other People's Houses Paperback. What I found irresistible about this book was the voice. After all, many teens could relate to either story, and missing out on your dreams can feel like the end of the world when you’re seventeen. Each has a problem of varying severity (missing out on a dance scholarship does not equate surviving abuse), but Hitchcock paints each character so truthfully that you’ll find yourself invested in each one’s struggle. The characters dance off the page, pulling you along by your heartstrings. Hitchcock’s writing has an inescapable pull that draws the reader in. Last is Hank and his two brothers, hiding on a ferry as they escape their mother and her boyfriend.Īll of these stories intertwine in unique and unexpected ways. Then there’s Alyce, a talented dancer who just might win a scholarship to college – if only she could let down her father and not help him on his fishing boat.

Next is Dora, a strong young woman who escapes abuse and finds a place in a new family.

First is Ruth, a girl with no parents and a growing secret in her belly. THE SMELL OF OTHER PEOPLE’S HOUSES tells the stories of four teens in 1970’s Alaska. This exciting debut by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock will attract adult and teen readers alike with its startlingly beautiful prose and heart-wrenching stories. What to expect: Coming of Age, Small town, Teen Life Issues The Children’s Book Review | December 23, 2017 The Smell of Other People’s Houses

The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock