The Two-Family House

Summary (from the publisher): Brooklyn, 1947: in the midst of a blizzard, in a two-family brownstone, two babies are born minutes apart to two women. They are sisters by marriage with an impenetrable bond forged before and during that dramatic night; but as the years progress, small cracks start to appear and their once deep friendship begins to unravel. No one knows why, and no one can stop it. One misguided choice; one moment of tragedy. Heartbreak wars with happiness and almost but not quite wins.

From debut novelist Lynda Cohen Loigman comes The Two-Family House, a moving family saga filled with heart, emotion, longing, love, and mystery.

 

Review: I won an advance uncorrected proof of this novel as a Goodreads giveaway.

 

Set in Brooklyn in 1947, this novel focuses primarily on the dynamics between Helen and Rose, who are married to two brothers, Abe and Mort, and live in adjoining apartments in the same house. Helen has four sons and has always dreamed about having a daughter and Rose has three daughters and knows that she has disappointed her stern husband by not producing a son. Both women find themselves pregnant at the same time and end up delivering at home on the same day, in the middle of a blizzard. The women make an unspoken agreement during this experience that succeeds in driving their once close relationship apart and altering the close family in many unintended ways.

 

I love the structure of this novel of having two related families living close together and focusing on the relationship of the two friendly sisters-in-law. I did think it was easy to predict what the great "secret" would be well before the night of the birth. Furthermore, I was a bit disappointed that after the big reveal of the secret relatively early in the novel, the remainder of the book was drama and fallout, mostly bickering between Rose and Helen, because Rose cannot come to terms with the choice she made. Although I enjoyed reading about how this decision affected the family long-term, it did feel as if the major tension was spent after the women give birth. In some ways, I wonder if this novel would have been more effective if solely written from the perspective of a family member who doesn't know the truth behind the disintegration of the two women's relationship.

 

I did like that not all of the outcomes of the women's decisions were negative. In particular, Mort is deeply changed by his relationship with his "niece" Natalie and grows kinder and more considerate. Before, he's cold with his three daughters and rare gestures such as kissing his wife on the cheek before leaving for work provokes a "look of utter disbelief" from her (30). Over time, he softens, growing to the point where he can support his daughter's choice to get a Master's degree, shows deep concern for his brother's health, and is generally more considerate and gentler with everyone in his life.

 

Additionally, I thought it was more realistic that Rose seems almost irrationally irritated with Helen, her main complaint that Helen is always quicker to notice problems or jump in to help Rose. "You're always coming to the rescue. Pointing out every little thing I do wrong" (160). In reality, the real problem is that Rose seems be  deeply conflicted with her own choice and is reminded of what she's done every time she sees Helen. To me, it seemed more realistic to have Helen continue to be supportive and kind and have the tension be about something more difficult to pinpoint or resolve.

 

This is a solid debut novel that does a good job of detailing complicated family dynamics.

 

Stars: 3