Dream House is a riveting debut novel that tells the story of a domestic drama that will forever change the lives of two families.
One terrible night. One outraged act. What price will people pay to hold their homes and dreams together?
When Kate and Stuart Kinzler buy a run-down, historic house in Ann Arbor, Michigan, they're looking for a decent remodeling investment and a little space in which to rekindle their troubled marriage. Instead they discover that their home was the scene of a terrible crime many years ago — a revelation that tips the balance of their precarious union.
When a mysterious man begins lurking around her yard, Kate — now alone — is forced to confront her home's dangerous past. Hers is not the only life that has crumbled under this roof. But the stranger who has returned to this house — once his own childhood home — is in search of something Kate may never fully understand.
Featuring a diverse cast of characters and building to an unforgettable climax, Dream House embraces the volatile issues of race and class to chart the concentric effects of one fateful decision — a moment of rage that will echo forever within these four walls.
'Laken is masterful at character construction as she explores issues of race and class and conveys the wreckage of individual lives and the emotions evoked by a house that is the source of joy and dreams as well as the site of tragedy.'
Valerie Laken received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Ploughshares, the Chicago Tribune, and the Antioch Review, and she has received a Pushcart Prize, the Missouri Review Editors' Prize, and two Hopwood Awards. She teaches in the creative writing program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
