The Red House

Praise

“Absorbing. . . . Brilliant. . . . Haddon wends a careful path in this novel between the effervescent comedy of quirky families and the bitter tragedy of dysfunctional ones.”
—The Washington Post

“Haddon delivers a story of remarkable complexity, exploring the rich interior lives of his characters. . . . Impressive.”
—USA Today

“Particularly fresh and true.”
—O, the Oprah Magazine

“A chaotic but truthful portrait of what family means in this narcissistic age: less a cohesive whole than a group of individuals bumping against each other with their own needs, disappointments and . . . victories.”
—The Seattle Times

“In this absorbing, Virginia Woolf-esque novel . . . an extended family gathers for a week in the English countryside. Perfect (or not) for that holiday with the in-laws.” —People Magazine

“The story unfolds from all eight characters’ points of view, a tricky strategy that pays off, letting Haddon dig convincingly into all of the failures, worries, and weaknesses that they can’t leave behind.”
—Entertainment Weekly

“Engaging. . . . The quality of the writing allows us to know this extended clan, who are on a week’s holiday, better than they know each other.”
—The Independent (London)

“The language of [The Red House] is wonderful—particular, vivid, attentive.”
—The Plain Dealer

“Mark Haddon is terrifyingly talented.”
—The Times (London)

“Each of the characters acts as a splintered bit of mirror for the others, so that the reader sees them all from multiple perspectives. . . . Satisfying and believable. . . . Haddon writes with a gentle, compassionate sense of irony.”
—The Columbus Dispatch 

“[A] hugely enjoyable, sympathetic novel. . . . It is a book of minor revelations and slow-release secrets.”
—The Observer (London)

“Haddon peers inside the messy dynamics of a group of relatives, each grappling with their own fears and trying to make sense of themselves as a family. . . . [The novel] braids together themes of sexual identity, parental insecurity and sibling rivalry, and no one gets away unscathed.”
—NPR

“Haddon delights in winkling . . . social misfits out of their natural habitats and thrusting them into very English comedies of discombobulation and befuddlement.” —The New York Times

“[Haddon] writes like a dream. Never showy, but often lyrically descriptive, he takes the reader with him to the core of this crazy family. . . . He has a true understanding of the human heart.”
—The Spectator (London)