Infinite Home

May 25, 2015
Alcott’s (The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets) new novel takes place in a sprawling Brooklyn brownstone, offering a peek into the complicated lives of the tenants who have come to live in it. The inhabitants include landlord Edith, sliding into senility; Paulie, a gentle man with Williams syndrome, and his sister, Claudia, who takes care of him; Thomas, a struggling artist; and the beautiful, sensitive Adeleine. The future of these characters, and the brownstone itself, is put at risk when Edith’s money-grubbing son, Owen, attempts to foreclose the building and force the tenants out. The threat of eviction—and Edith’s slow, alarming drift from reality—inspires the tenants to seek out a way to save the property with urgency, as the story culminates in a Little Miss Sunshine–style road trip. Alcott’s writing has an acute sensory quality, and she’s at her imaginative best when describing the small, quotidian moments of her characters’ lives: when Thomas gets a headache, it takes hold “with the swift efficiency of a team of movers: whole parts of his body emptied in minutes.” The writing is dreamy and easy to inhabit, but is occasionally undermined by its tendency toward abstraction, when it would benefit more from precise plot development. Nevertheless, Alcott’s writing is generous, and her peculiar cast of characters memorable.

The challenge presented by this novel for narrator Christa Lewis is portraying a small cast of highly diverse characters. Listeners will be enthralled by her consistent portrayals of these individuals, who seem to have little in common beyond living in the same Brooklyn brownstone. Each tenant is coping with a life-altering crisis just as the son of the elderly landlady threatens them with eviction. Lewis's skills shine in her portrayals, including those of an agoraphobic woman, a mentally challenged young man and his caring sister, and a has-been comedian. The tenants' bonds strengthen as they absorb the ramifications of moving, each longing for a safe haven. Lewis's sensitive performance keeps listeners fully invested in this character-driven audiobook. C.B.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

December 1, 2015

Alcott (The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets) delivers a redemptive tale of Brooklyn brownstone owner and landlord Edith and the appealing band of damaged people she shelters. Edith rents to gentle Paulie, who was born with Williams Syndrome and is enabled to live alone with the help of his sister Claudia and the other tenants. Cynical Edward is a washed-up comic who is slowly running out of money. Talented Thomas, whose art career was effectively ended after a stroke, is living at the top of the house and slowly, carefully, romances his beautiful but agoraphobic neighbor Adeline. As Edith slides into dementia, the tenants must work together and move outside their comfort zones to protect her from her evil son. This quirky little tale is sad, yet funny and ultimately redemptive. Christa Lewis expertly captures the voices of the characters. VERDICT Alcott's ad hoc family will inspire listeners to ponder the responsibilities we have to one another as humans. Recommended.--Judy Murray, Monroe Cty. Lib. Syst., MI

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