Book Review: House Lights

I stumbled upon Lean Hager Cohen's House Lights at a recent time killing trip to a chain bookstore - I picked it up because it's won a ton of awards (including being a New York Times Book Review Notable Book for 2007) and I liked the cover image.

It's certainly one of the best things I've read so far this year and was a very pleasant switch from all of my YA fare of late. The story follows Beatrice, a girl on the verge of 21 who after a strange insulated childhood is finally finding out that things with her family are not what they always seemed. It's a delicate and beautifully written coming of age story - unique in both the depth of the characters but also in its tone. Hager Cohen's attention to detail is spot on and the way she weaves descriptions into the story made everything seem hearbreakingly poignant. Fantastic female characters from 3 generations (Beatrice, her mother and her grandmother) are also a big plus.