About The Book
Becky Barnes has Attachment Issues
Becky grows up in what appears to be an ordinary family in upstate New York. Her father is admired, her mother keeps the household running with quiet precision, and everyone believes Becky will fulfil the promise they see in her. Her family works hard to give her opportunities they never had. But Becky has a habit of blowing up her life. To the people who love her, she appears careless, reckless and even selfish: a daughter who cannot understand how much has been sacrificed for her.
But Becky experienced a childhood that nearly destroyed her. What looks like self-sabotage from the outside is bound up with insecurity, anxiety and the choices she learned to make before she was old enough to understand them. Her younger brother, Danny, remains closer to the family and carries grievances of his own. His childhood is marked by validation and approval, until he is left to live with consequences he did not create while Becky appears to escape them. Their father, Tom, has wronged the people who love him and allowed distance to harden into estrangement, but believes he loved his children and provided for them as best he could. Their mother believes the secret she chose to keep held the family together, even when doing so prevents its deepest problems from being confronted.
Becky eventually found a way through, despite all her setbacks, and found success in the most unlikely way. Years later, she’s living in Paris. She’s in a healthy relationship. She breaks patterns and becomes a good mother. She’s finally drawn a line between her past and her potential. That is, until those old family systems, and old alliances, want her back. Can she risk all she’s gained for the family that never apologised?
Behind the book
Read an extract from the novel and spend some time with the world of Becky Barnes. Find out how I arrived at the cover and why the image became such an important part of the book. Ever wonder how an indie author writes 100,00 words? This was my method.
Read an Excerpt
This extract is a full chapter of The House in Elmhurst. Enter the world of 90’s teenager Becky Barnes.
The Cover Story
If you're curious about the cover artwork on The House in Elmhurst, I share how I created it in this article.
Ready to buy The House in Elmhurst?
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BOOK Themes in The House in Elmhurst
Sibling Dynamics
Sibling Dynamics
Sibling Dynamics
The relationship between Becky and her younger brother Danny is shaped by their very different experiences of the same family. As they grow older, each carries their own understanding of what happened during childhood, and those differences continue to affect their relationship into adulthood.
Paris
Sibling Dynamics
Sibling Dynamics
Paris becomes an integral part of the coming of age journey Becky navigates as an adult, far from the family dynamics and familiar places of her upbringing. The city embodies distance, possibility, and the freedom to envision a life that transcends her childhood. However, leaving home doesn’t mean escaping the past. In Paris, Becky finds that memories and expectations can bridge any distance, reminding her that her story is still shaped by her roots.
Recovery
Sibling Dynamics
Family Secrets
Becky spends years trying to outrun what she could not understand as a child, navigating the complexities of family dynamics that shaped her life. recovery for Becky is rarely a clean break but rather a coming of age process of learning to live differently; recognizing old patterns and learning to break habits that no longer serve her. The House in Elmhurst explores what happens after survival in literary fiction: whether it is possible to build a good life while still carrying the memories, habits, and fears that formed long before you understood them.
Family Secrets
Small Town America
Family Secrets
Every family has stories it tells about itself, intricately woven into the fabric of family dynamics. Some tales are repeated so often that they become accepted as truth, while others remain hidden, even from those most affected by them. In The House in Elmhurst, family secrets play a significant role in shaping how Becky and those around her navigate their coming of age. This literary fiction explores what occurs when those narratives start to unravel, questioning whether uncovering the truth brings people closer together or drives them apart.
Small Town America
Small Town America
Small Town America
The novel begins in a small American town in upstate New York, a world of familiar streets and family routines, where neighbours hold assumptions about life. This close-knit and seemingly secure place often conceals the complexities of family dynamics, making it challenging to discern what occurs behind closed doors. The ordinariness of the setting amplifies the significance of Becky’s coming of age journey, as difficult family dynamics do not always reveal themselves outwardly.
Motherhood
Small Town America
Small Town America
Motherhood becomes part of Becky’s coming of age as she reckons with her own childhood. As she raises children of her own, she is compelled to confront the family dynamics she inherited and determine what she wishes to pass on. The House in Elmhurst delves into the fear and responsibility associated with the desire to offer your children something different from your own experiences, while exploring the potential for creating a safer, more loving family.
Coming of Age
The House in Elmhurst is a poignant coming-of-age story that follows Becky from childhood into adulthood, exploring how family dynamics and the world around us shape the individuals we become. Growing up involves reflecting on the life you were given and making decisions about what to keep, what to question, and what to leave behind. Ultimately, Becky’s journey is about embracing her true self rather than conforming to the expectations of her family.
Upstate New York
The family cabin has been in Becky's family for generations, serving as a backdrop for formative memories and the nuances of family dynamics. However, when access to the cabin becomes a point of contention, Becky faces a pivotal decision about where her loyalties lie. This coming-of-age story delves into emotional inheritance and poses a thought-provoking question: if I honor my lived experience, can I still acknowledge yours?
Chosen Family
Chosen Family
The families we are born into are not always the families we ultimately choose. In the coming-of-age story, The House in Elmhurst, the exploration of family dynamics reveals the relationships that sustain us and the potential for creating something new and different from what we inherited. For Becky, building her own family becomes a crucial part of breaking away from old patterns and redefining what family truly means within the realm of literary fiction.