The Turner House
Ratings16
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings16
Average rating3.9
The Turners have lived on Yarrow Street for over fifty years. Their house has seen thirteen children grown and gone--and some returned; it has seen the arrival of grandchildren, the fall of Detroit's East Side, and the loss of a father. The house still stands despite abandoned lots, an embattled city, and the inevitable shift outward to the suburbs. But now, as ailing matriarch Viola finds herself forced to leave her home and move in with her eldest son, the family discovers that the house is worth just a tenth of its mortgage. The Turner children are called home to decide its fate and to reckon with how each of their pasts haunts--and shapes--their family's future--Provided by publisher.
Reviews with the most likes.
This book is so well done! I've been working through my backlog of debut novels and this one is great. It's heavy with family dysfunction, which isn't something I usually enjoy, but I think it really makes it a compelling story. Chapters alternate from different characters' perspectives across many years, but it still feels very fluid.
Really liked how the story focused on a few main siblings of the 13 Turners but also journeyed back into vignettes about Francis and Viola and how their relationship to each other and to the house shaped the family. Flournoy truly makes this family live and breathe.
Very impressive first novel by this young writer. The story is compelling, the dialog and the characters ring true.
The book is a little scattered as it covers two long generations of this large family. I think some of the subplots could have been reined in and tightened up. The book seemed just a bit too long.
Still, the story is satisfying and is unlike anything else I've read. I look forward to reading her next novel!
