The House That Built Us

The House That Built Us: A Novel About Family, Forgiveness, and the Price of Home

When family betrayal meets impossible choices, what does it really mean to come home?

Daniel McKeon thought he was being practical. Faced with mounting repair costs on his mother's house and her declining health, selling the family home seemed like the obvious solution. The $2.8 million sale would secure everyone's financial future. There was just one problem: he forgot to tell his family.

For Laura, living two thousand miles away in Portland, the news arrives like a bomb. The house where she learned to ride a bike, had her first kiss, and said goodbye to her father, is gone, sold to strangers without a family discussion. For younger sister Lilly, drowning in debt on a teacher's salary, the betrayal cuts deep even as the money offers salvation. And for their mother, Silvia, losing the house means losing her last connection to thirty-seven years of marriage and motherhood.

As the McKeon family grapples with Daniel's decision, they must confront difficult questions about duty, forgiveness, and what we owe the people we love. Can money heal the wounds it creates? Can a family rebuild trust after such a fundamental betrayal? And when the house that was built for you is gone, where do you call home?

The House That Built Us is a poignant exploration of modern family dynamics, the weight of caregiving, and the complex mathematics of love and loyalty. With richly drawn characters and emotional authenticity, this novel illuminates the universal struggle between practical needs and emotional attachments, showing how sometimes the most devastating losses can lead to unexpected grace.

Perfect for readers who loved Everything I Never Told You, A Man Called Ove, or The Light We Lost.