Becky's Great Book Reviews Other People's House's by Abbi Waxman

Every once in a while, I discover an author who's new to me, and they become someone that will now always jump off the bookshelf. Abbi Waxman immediately won me over with Other's People's Houses. Her hilarious and whip-smart writing made me an instant fan.

This story is about a neighborhood and the people that live there. As the title hints at, one can never tell what's going on behind closed doors. This becomes glaringly clear after Frances Bloom, the main character of the book, walks into her friend's/neighbor's house one day and sees the woman having sex on the living room floor with a man who is not her husband. The fallout from that situation, along with rotating deep dives inside of the other neighbors' lives as well, are the crux of the novel.

If you are fascinated by other people, this one is for you. Waxman's spot-on depiction of parenting (and the absurdity that can sometimes go with it) along with Frances's inner dialogue had me laughing out loud. Far from cloying, the domestic vignettes felt three dimensional.

The drama unfolds in Other People's Houses with humor and heart. This is voyeurism at its best! This reader was plunged into compassion just when it was least expected. Abbi Waxman writes characters that break the mold and the fast-moving plot of the narrative made for a delicious page-turner. I give Other People's House's five stars out of five.