BookBrowse Reviews Housebreaking by Colleen Hubbard

BookBrowse:

A quirky coming-of-age story driven by a cast of odd but compelling characters.

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Housebreaking is the debut novel of Colleen Hubbard, a graduate of the University of East Anglia's MA program in creative writing who hails from New England, where the book is set. Our First Impressions reviewers rated it an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars.

What the book is about:

Twenty-something Del's in a spot — no job, no place to live, not much money saved. She grew up as an "outsider" and cultivates being suspicious, miserable and tough. Her mother died when she was young; she lived with her gay father and various friends of his until he died, drifted from one no-hoper job to another until, at the end of her rope, she hears from her unlikeable uncle in the construction business with an offer to buy the family farm to develop it into tract housing. Rather than giving him the satisfaction of demolishing her childhood home, she takes on the project herself, and along the way, she learns about friendship (Gail B). A bildungsroman with a twist, this coming-of-age novel's premise is both fascinating and multifaceted. Young, rude, aimless loner Del challenges herself to demolish her childhood home, and in the process of deconstructing the house and her family's stuff, she builds herself (Ann B).

Readers found Hubbard's novel to be a captivating and thoroughly absorbing read.

I read all 300-some pages in one fell swoop, and rejoiced in it — board by board, stone by stone. Colleen Hubbard has written a masterpiece (Borderlass). Colleen Hubbard captured me from the beginning. The book is filled with hurdles that families live through in small and large towns. It highlights many social issues while making the hurdles very believable. It was entertaining and definitely a book I can highly recommend (Barb G).

They soon became invested in Del as a protagonist.

I quickly grew enchanted with Del and her story and had a hard time putting the book down. Turned out she had a lot more going on than someone scrounging for rent. Loved her determination, her response to BS, and her humanity. Loved how we learn about Del's past and that, for some of it, there are no pat answers or tidy explanations (Mary Ann S). As a reader, you cannot help but eagerly and vicariously explore all the heroine's experiences. We are her. She is us. And we are invested in seeing our main character succeed. We are not voyeurs but participants in the book. I was gripped from beginning to end. Superbly written! (Courtenay B).

Some found the book's circumstances difficult to swallow and the ending a bit unsatisfying.

Hubbard's writing is competent but her unbelievable plot and heavy-handed symbolic ending left me shaking my head (Molly O). The ending left me wanting a little more. Overall, the book fell a bit short for me (Liz B).

However, reviewers agreed that the richly drawn characters and their connections formed the heart of the story.

The character connections were surprising and brought me back to the story. It was great to see how unexpected social connections can benefit someone who is so alone, surprising to imagine anyone moving in with Del when there was any other choice available, and amazing to think that Del, who had so little, was always ready to share what she had with others (Theresa P). The characters really drive the story. Even minor characters, of which there are many, are well drawn and intriguing (Kathryn B). I had no idea when I started this book that it would be about such strong and courageous women. Women who were bored at various stages of life and who unknowingly helped each other through their actions. What a wonderful book that will amaze you by bringing out many of your emotions as you cheer these women on (Barb G).

Overall, readers found Housebreaking to be an exciting and worthwhile debut.

When Elizabeth Strout and Ottessa Moshfegh are referenced in media reviews — as in "if you like..." — I have possibly unrealistically high expectations. Which were met! The requisite off-kilter, unlikeable yet believable family members, the impossible task... I'm looking forward to more from this first-time author (Maggie R). Great debut novel. Fun to read and ideal for book club discussion (Windell H). I hope we see more from this author (Mary Ann S).

This review first ran in the April 20, 2022 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.