House Broken by Sonja Yoerg

Title: House Broken
Author: Sonja Yoerg
Publisher: NAL Trade
Publication Date: January 6, 2014
ISBN:  9780451472137
Number of Pages: 336
How I Got It: direct from author
Format: paperback

Goodreads Description:
In this compelling and poignant debut novel, a woman skilled at caring for animals must learn to mend the broken relationships in her family.…
For veterinarian Geneva Novak, animals can be easier to understand than people. They’re also easier to forgive. But when her mother, Helen, is injured in a vodka-fueled accident, it’s up to Geneva to give her the care she needs.
Since her teens, Geneva has kept her self-destructive mother at arm’s length. Now, with two slippery teenagers of her own at home, the last thing she wants is to add Helen to the mix. But Geneva’s husband convinces her that letting Helen live with them could be her golden chance to repair their relationship.
Geneva isn’t expecting her mother to change anytime soon, but she may finally get answers to the questions she’s been asking for so long. As the truth about her family unfolds, however, Geneva may find secrets too painful to bear and too terrible to forgive.

My Review:

I read the first half of this novel in the Atlanta airport and kept getting asked about it. I think the cute doggy on the cover just drew people in. I will admit, I was a little confused as to who all the characters were in the first few chapters, but once I did, the book flowed and I couldn't put it down. The PR release that accompanied my copy has a small blurb stating " House Broken is the perfect blend of humor and family drama, with a bunch of dogs thrown in." I don't think I can describe this book better than that. The family drama was real in that family drama is rarely one singular event. I especially like how author Sonja Yoerg juxtaposed the main character, Geneva's "dramatic" immediate and extended family with her husband Tom's tight-knit, "in each other's pocket", family. My family is much more the "dramatic" type and too often I've met resistance and rejection from "pristine" Stepford families. Yoerg really digs into these stereotypes and peels back the layers of individual connections between family members and reminds us to think twice before we judge.  


** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **