Book Review: "The House" by Anjuelle Floyd

Title: The House

Author: Anjuelle Floyd

Publisher: Neptune Publication

ISBN, PUB Date: 978-0-9787967-2-3, October, 15, 2010

Reviewed by: Hamdhoon Rashad for Author Exposure

With an intriguing plotline that focuses on a devastating family tragedy, The House by Anjuelle Floyd explores the complicated reality of life. Probing the concepts of regrets and forgiveness on a deeper level, The House reiterates that real life only comes in shades of gray.

Anna Manning has devoted all her life to her husband Edward and their four children—David, Theo, Linda, and Serine. She has always put her family’s desires and happiness before her own. But with Edward’s numerous extra-marital affairs and his increasingly detached behavior from Anna and their marriage, Anna has had enough. She decides to end it for good and files for divorce.

However, fate has other plans and she soon learns that Edward is dying of cancer. Anna’s world comes crashing down, shattering her into pieces. Abandoning all her future plans, Anna brings Edward back into the house he had built for Anna and their children, the house which Anna has transformed into a home, and the only thing that binds Edward to Anna.

During the course of Edward’s remaining days on earth, Anna struggles to find it in her heart to make amends with her unfaithful husband. In the ensuing drama that unfolds in the house, not only must she confront her grown children, but also her lover, Inman Hayes.

A smidge of infidelity thrown in, The House deals with utterly believable familial emotions in the wake of the Manning family tragedy. As each character comes to terms with their regrets and sorrows, will they ultimately rise above and succumb to take refuge in forgiveness—the only companion in times of crisis?

With clear, concise writing, that is at times poetic, Floyd showcases a perceptive portrayal of life’s surprises and the unpredicted bumps along the road in Anna’s life:

“Anna longed for the intimacies she imagined Edward to have experienced with those women. Over time, Anna made the children her focus. She took refuge in the house in which Edward has placed her. The house was her mainstay, heaven on earth encased by the hell of her marriage.” (138)

A work of fine delicacy with accurate details and carefully drawn characters, this is the book for anyone looking for a slice of life’s drama and the twists and surprises it throws our way.