House Lights
House Lights by Leah Hager Cohen, published by W. W. Norton & Company in 2007, is a poignant novel that explores the impact of family secrets on personal relationships. This edition spans 302 pages and is presented in English. The story follows Beatrice, who, late in her twentieth year, sends a letter to her estranged grandmother, a legendary stage actress. This act sets off a series of events that profoundly alter her life, as Beatrice navigates her aspirations to become an actress while grappling with the complexities of her family’s past.
Readers will find a narrative that intricately weaves themes of family life, the performing arts, and the challenges of understanding one’s heritage. As Beatrice attempts to bridge the gap with her grandmother, her own life begins to unravel, marked by her father’s public scandal and her mother’s vulnerabilities. The novel delves into the psychological intricacies of familial bonds, the weight of secrets, and the quest for truth and forgiveness, all while capturing the nuances of love across generational divides.
Official synopsis Publisher
A poignant novel, reminiscent of Alice McDermott and Sue Miller, about how secrets threaten the stability of a family. Late in her twentieth year, Beatrice mails a letter on the sly, sparking events that will change her life forever. The addressee is her grandmother, a legendary stage actress long estranged from her daughter, Bea’s mother. Though Bea wants to become an actress herself, it is the desire to understand the old family rift that drives her to work her way into her grandmother’s graces. But just as she establishes a precarious foothold in her grandmother’s world, Bea’s elite Boston home life begins to crumble. Her beloved father is accused of harassment by one of his graduate students; her usually composed mother shows vulnerabilities and doubt; and Bea is falling in love with a man more than twice her age. Written with lyricism and narrative reach,House Lightsis psychologically intricate, powerfully capturing the weight of family secrets on the lives of children and the struggle to find truth, forgiveness, and love.
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