The Upstairs House

Fine (What Should Be Wild) chronicles the tangled web of realities of Megan Weiler, a new mother and literature scholar struggling with postpartum depression. Through the haze of new motherhood, Megan becomes haunted by the ghost of a fictionalized Margaret Wise Brown (the author of Goodnight Moon) and her longtime companion Michael. Fine weaves Brown’s 1940s literary landscape into the plot, while simultaneously plunging the reader into Megan’s escalating terror. The more Megan struggles to get a handle on the truth, the more elusive it seems to become. The savvy listener will discover clever parallels to Brown’s classic children’s books throughout, and empathize with the unnerving crisis of changing identities as Megan tries to come to grips with her past and present. Courtney Patterson’s performance in the audiobook creates anxiety in the listener that ebbs and floods with the visceral narrative. This innovative novel crosses genres and taboos, challenging readers to confront the fragility of Megan’s mind.