FICTION

This House Is Mine

by Dörte Hansen
St. Martin's. Nov. 2016. 336p. tr. from German by Anne Stokes. ISBN 9781250100856. $26.99; ebk. ISBN 9781250106469. F
COPY ISBN
The "house" of the title is an old, thatched-roof farmhouse in rural Altland, Germany, with an inscription on its front façade that reads, "This house is mine and not mine, he who comes after me will call it his." Alternating a bit roughly between the present and 1945, this story weaves the lives of two strong, independent, sometimes eccentric women who do, indeed, become a family. Anne is a carpenter by trade and a single mother with a young son, and her Aunt Vera, an unmarried dentist, lives in the dilapidated old homestead. As the renovations on the house progress, so does their relationship. Vera and Anne learn to respect, trust, and care for each other as well as young Leon. Stokes's translation is rocky in the beginning but smooths out to make for an enjoyable read.
VERDICT In this remarkable debut novel about life and love among mothers, sons, stepfathers, lovers, friends, and neighbors, Hansen carefully examines family relationships while providing amusing contrasts between city and country life. A wonderful, thought-provoking first novel that will work well for book groups.
Reviewed by Lisa Rohrbaugh, Leetonia Community P.L., OH , Nov 01, 2016
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