Our House: Winner of the Crime & Thriller Book of the Year 2019

Such a good read. Totally gripping from page one and just gets better and better. Could not put it down.

I saw this advertised as a new series on ITV and rushed to read the book before it started. Unfortunately, I missed the start, but I plan to binge the whole series as soon as I get the chance! I don't know about you, but I can barely read a book after watching the film or TV series, so it had to be completed first. (We will exclude Eat, Pray, Love from that as I read the book afterwards and found it painful, but that's another story!)So, this is the story of Fiona Lawson and her newly estranged husband, Bram. He appears to have sold their house from under her feet and disappeared with their two children. They have a 'bird's nest' custody arrangement for caring for their children, which I loved the idea of, though obviously, it won't work for many people, I'm sure. It doesn't quite work out for them in the end.It is written in the form of Fiona talking to a local podcast sharing her story and Bram writing his side in a word document in the format of a suicide note. This centres around Fiona, who is quite meek and gullible and Bram, running scared after a run of abysmal life choices. I didn't feel particularly warm to either character and felt Bram was a coward. I was glad to see that Fiona grew towards the end, though.I enjoyed how the story was told from Fiona's and Bram's perspectives. The podcast and social media comments as the story unfolded; the mixed media sources enhanced the book for me. I did figure out most of the plot before it happened, but I still liked how it developed.I did really like the premise of Our House, though. Fiona's love for her house and her street is palpable and how everyone should feel about their own house. She gets that warm, tingly feeling when entering her road. Bram's deceit is profound and something nobody should ever experience. Of course, you would also imagine that nobody would be able to achieve such a feat given all the checks, but I guess that's another story!Our house is well written. Louise Candlish has done a great job weaving the storylines together alongside a shorter current events perspective. The overarching moral of this is that honesty is the best policy. When you begin to make stupid choices, if you own up and take responsibility, it will be better than leaving things to spiral completely out of control. Having said that though, I doubt many would get as out of control as Bram has managed!

Started this book with shall I read or not well u can honestly say it was a brilliant read. Lots of twists and turns well worth it

I hesitated prior to reading Our House as I felt the premise, although brilliantly original, relied on a series of convoluted circumstances that stretched credibility beyond belief. How could any individual be so oblivious and unsuspecting as to allow their separated spouse to sell their shared marital home from underneath their feet? I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find the opening overtures intriguing and engagingly recounted with a jaunty wit that serves as a parody on the lifestyles of the smug and entitled upper middle-classes who sit back and bask in the comfort of escalating property prices and concentrate on micromanaging their children’s lives! Sadly things went downhill from there with Louise Candlish’s plot and associated tension going astray for an extended spell midway through proceedings before belatedly springing into action in the final fifty-pages. Suspense, however, is negligible with the leafy residence of 91 Trinity Road already having changed hands prior to its former occupier returning home with only the full story of a staggeringly gullible forty-two-year-old woman who is ridiculously unquestioning of her errant husband to come.When Fi Lawson returns to her cherished South London townhouse after a dirty weekend with her new boyfriend it is to find no sign of her husband, Bram, two sons or the entire contents of her home and Lucy and David Vaughan confirming they are the new owners with Land Registry details to prove it. More to the point they have no idea who Fi is and with Bram uncontactable both parties scramble to get a handle of just what has occurred. As the realisation dawns on Fi that Bram might have committed an act of betrayal that well and truly surpasses his infidelity with the family home sold and no sign of the proceeds or the man himself. Fi’s narrative, in the form of a true crime podcast, then winds back to Bram’s aforementioned romp in the children’s playhouse and their separation when she makes no secret of the fact that she prizes the family abode more than the man she married. Her novel solution is an American inspired parenting arrangement called bird’s nest custody meaning their sons are never displaced from the family home. Idealistic Fi details the specifics with a rented flat share and coordinating hand overs and the amicable couple spend much time congratulating themselves on their parenting and an admirable solution that firmly roots the children at the centre of their world.Lead protagonists, Fi and Bram Lawson, fail to inspire much enthusiasm either way and the narrative (comprised of a crime podcast and a word processed suicide note) moves between the pair and is obviously intended to draw the reader into their plight by way of a direct appeal. This rather misses the mark with questions of reliability making their stories seem less confessional and more their own particular version of the truth. Along with frequent repetition between the two accounts this mix of narration risks confusion as it moves between a third-person present-tense narrative on the actual events, “Fi’s diary” podcast transcript relayed in the past-tense and Bram’s first-person final words. Neither character is ever really explored in great depth with Fi remaining one of life’s optimists throughout and Bram’s never quite fulfilling the characteristics required of a callous and amoral fraudster. Likewise the lives of the band of female friends on Alder Rise all feel too soap-opera to arouse any genuine empathy.Overall, Out House has an excellent premise with a wry commentary on the lifestyles of the aspirational middle-classes who value their homes every bit as much as the picture-perfect family life they cultivate. The novel also makes a very pertinent statement on the increasingly faceless conveyancing process in the U.K. Although the execution is a mixed bag and the novel overlong, losing vibrancy midway, there are plenty of entertaining moments to be had from the modern co-parenting arrangement. However Bram’s predicament through poor judgement and lack of impulse control (the events at Silver Road) does not come close to being enough to justify his actions and feels all too serious alongside his elaborate exploits.

Ich frage mich, wie man sich sowas ausdenken kann und es dann noch so niederschreibt, dass der Leser regelrecht in die Handlung hineingesaugt wird. Mir ging es jedenfalls so. Als wäre man selbst mit Teil der Geschichte.Emotional ist man total involviert. Habe mir nun das 3. Buch von der Autorin gekauft. Wahrscheinlich werde ich sie alle lesen.

Novela estupenda, intriga asegurada, tienes que leerla

Great

I bought the hardback format of this book for my collection and I’m very happy I did. Nail-biting from the very beginning, this writer knows how to turn everyday situations into truly disturbing nightmares. A well-executed plot that had me gasping from the outset. I noticed a few reviews said this was a slow burn, but for me it was totally the opposite. Each chapter and sections of dialogue drove the story forward at an alarming rate. and I couldn’t put the book down.Although the premise may seem a little far-fetched, as I read on it became terrifyingly believable. On Friday 13th, Fi returns home to discover something has happened to her house. The front façade is the same, but the occupants and furniture aren’t. Fi’s husband’s phone is out of service and her children aren’t at school that day. Two inconsistencies sure to send any mother into a tail spin. This is one of those stories that spring from an ordinary day at work, a simple ride home and BAM! The stuff great psychological thrillers are made of.Written mainly in two points of view, Fi’s and Bram’s with his Word document that parallels Fi’s podcast — stories that lead up to the present day. With infidelity and divorce in the background, and latterly a ‘bird’s nest’ plan — keeping the children in the same home with alternating parental custody — things should have been working well. But they’re not when you consider the secret Bram is hiding. With Fi being the innocent party up until now, you watch two otherwise intelligent, responsible people slide slowly into a complete nightmare. A car crash, a few more affairs and a conspiracy that made my toes curl.Fi’s neighbour, Merle, offers to help her throughout her ordeal, although I had a hard time understanding how Fi managed to deal with it. But desperate and out of sorts, what choice did she have? I found her thoughtful and compassionate, everything you’d expect. Bram is a little too treacherous for his own good, and perhaps a little weak. I kept wanting to shake him out of his stubbornness as he kept trying to cover up his mistakes, which deteriorated with each chapter. There was no way out for him and digging deeper into his dark world only cemented his failure. Secrets, both harrowing and tragic, a moral message and a few well planned twists along the way made the book a success for me. The last chapter was something I’d toyed with but thought wouldn’t happen. I think the author did a splendid job of tying up all loose ends, even if one question may have been left hanging. For me, this enhances the read because, let’s face it, who doesn’t love being confronted by a potentially shocking revelation.This is the first Louise Candlish book I’ve read and definitely won’t be the last. Masterfully plotted, her writing is top-notch and sure to score with avid domestic thriller lovers. If you’re looking for a superior read, one with grit and depth, this is it. Our House will definitely be listed in my top ten reads for 2019.

Truly addictive, and the multiple viewpoints (spiced up with some social media commentary) work well. Candlish has a way of making the reader feel reluctantly sympathetic to some very unlikeable characters. I was lulled into a false sense of security, in that I saw most of the plot twists coming - but the ending ... OMG ... worthy of O'Henry.