The Children’s House (Alice Nelson, Knopf)

The Children’s House is a lovely, lyrical and meditative novel, with a title that refers to both an actual dormitory-style communal house in Israel, and the desire—shared by many in the book—to find a true sense of home. Set in 1997, its protagonist is Marina, a scholar and lecturer living in Harlem, New York, who is reflecting on her dysfunctional upbringing. Her thoughts revolve around her mother, Gizela, who disappeared 20 years ago; Leni, the first wife of her husband, who also abandoned her family; and Marina’s recent encounters with Constance, a refugee from the Rwandan genocide. The physical and emotional distance of absent mothers is one of the novel’s central concerns: Gizela, separated from her children by the communal living in Israel, was incapable of displaying genuine affection or maternal instinct. Leni, suffocated by the demands of Jacob’s close-knit family, fled overseas with another man, and Constance has been too traumatised by war to care for her small son. Alice Nelson weaves the different narratives together with sympathy and skill. In particular, Harlem is wonderfully described as a melting pot of immigrants searching for a place they can belong to. The Children’s House is a must-read for fans of contemporary-fiction masters such as Colm Tóibín and Paul Auster. While the book unfolds slowly, it remains an enticing read throughout.

Helene Ephraim is a freelance reviewer who has worked as a bookseller and librarian

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