The Red House

A Novel

By: Mark Haddon

Narrated by: Maxwell Caulfield

Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

The Red House is a dazzlingly inventive novel about modern family, from the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

The set-up of Mark Haddon's brilliant new novel is simple: Richard, a wealthy doctor, invites his estranged sister Angela and her family to join his for a week at a vacation home in the English countryside. Richard has just re-married and inherited a willful stepdaughter in the process; Angela has a feckless husband and three children who sometimes seem alien to her. The stage is set for seven days of resentment and guilt, a staple of family gatherings the world over.

But because of Haddon's extraordinary narrative technique, the stories of these eight people are anything but simple. Told through the alternating viewpoints of each character, The Red House becomes a symphony of long-held grudges, fading dreams and rising hopes, tightly-guarded secrets and illicit desires, all adding up to a portrait of contemporary family life that is bittersweet, comic, and deeply felt. As we come to know each character they become profoundly real to us. We understand them, even as we come to realize they will never fully understand each other, which is the tragicomedy of every family.

The Red House is a literary tour-de-force that illuminates the puzzle of family in a profoundly empathetic manner - a novel sure to entrance the millions of fans of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

©2012 Mark Haddon (P)2012 Random House Audio

Confusing

It was extremely difficult to follow this story. The author used flashbacks way too often.

Beautifully narrated, very touching story

Do you have any additional comments?

Done partially in a stream-of-consciousness style, including fragments of poems, I initially
worried that listening to this book was not the greatest way to
experience it. But it quickly became part of a coherent whole for me
and I really loved the book. The story of two related families on
holiday in the Welsh countryside and the permutations of
their relationships with each other and their own internal struggles is
done with complexity and great empathy. As with The Curious Incident of the
Dog in the Nightime, the author has great sympathy for
all the characters. Terrific narration.

Disapointing

What did you like about this audiobook?

I was so excited to find this book after reading The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Nightime. I expected the same ingrossing read, but it just wasn't there for me. I was so bored by the characters that I couldn't finish listening to the book. It might have gotten better, but I had better books to listen to, so I did.

A Disappointment from Mark Haddon

Would you try another book from Mark Haddon and/or Maxwell Caulfield?

Yes, sure.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Legend, by Marie Lu

Would you listen to another book narrated by Maxwell Caulfield?

Yes

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Red House?

I really disliked the whole story - not one character was likable, and the story didn't hold my interest.

Any additional comments?

This novel was a major let-down. I really enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night-time, and this novel had none of the same originality, spark, and vitality.