I really enjoyed “The Good House” a new novel by Ann Leary. Set in a New England town north of Boston, the story focuses on Hildy Good. A sixtyish, divorced mother of two daughters, Hildy is a successful real estate agent. A life-long resident of Wendover, she knows everyone and everything that happens in her community.
Hildy is very busy by day, but in the evening she gets very lonely and turns to her stash of wine, which she keeps in the trunk of her ex-husband’s sports car. When it get too cold, she moves her stash to her basement. Hildy, at the insistence of her daughters, did a couple of weeks in rehab and claims to be cured. She never acknowledged that she had a problem, so telling everyone that she doesn’t drink isn’t a concern to her.
One of the enjoyable aspects of the book is when Hildy recalls her memories of growing up in Wendover. These stories add a dimension to her character and that of Frank, her first boyfriend. Frank and Hildy reconnect in the course of the story and their relationship helps Hildy get through some very tough times.
This novel reads like a screenplay. In an interview with Leary in last week’s NYT, she says that the book has already been optioned for a movie. Leary admits to having had her problems with alcohol and subsequent blackouts. Hildy, as the story progresses, has more and more episodes of not remembering things that she has done and often awakening in her basement with several empties surrounding her.
Hildy has her flaws, but you can’t help rooting for her. She is a likeable and well-written character.