Break This House

The author of National Book Award finalist Everybody Looking presents a poignant novel about a teenager reckoning with her family’s—and her home town’s—secrets.

“A tender, poetic story about what it’s like to experience loss and learn to continue living anyway.”—Bookpage

“Iloh’s meditation on grief, individuals’ capacity for change, and perseverance of family [is] a thought-provoking read.”—Publishers Weekly

Yaminah Okar left Obsidian and the wreckage of her family years ago. She and her father have made lives for themselves in Brooklyn. She thinks she’s moved on to bigger and better things. She thinks she’s finally left behind that city she would rather forget. But when a Facebook message about her estranged mother pierces Yaminah’s new bubble, memories of everything that happened before her parents’ divorce come roaring back. Now Yaminah must finally reckon with the truth about her mother and the looming collapse of a place she once called home.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Candice Iloh is a writer to watch.”—Jason Reynolds, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Long Way Down

“A unique bildungsroman about growing up with an inconsistent and absent mother that is grounded in Iloh’s expert craftsmanship for character and setting.”—School Library Journal, starred review

“Iloh’s meditation on grief, individuals’ capacity for change, and perseverance of family [is] a thought-provoking read.”—Publishers Weekly

“Iloh’s coming-of-age story deconstructs the tropes of Black familial life and shines a glaring light onto the importance of addressing trauma.”—Booklist

“A tender, poetic story about what it’s like to experience loss and learn to continue living anyway.”—BookPage