The Two-Family House
Lynda Cohen Loigman, 2016
St. Martin's Press
304 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781250076922
Summary
Brooklyn, 1947: In the midst of a blizzard, in a two-family brownstone, two babies are born, minutes apart.
The mothers are sisters by marriage: dutiful, quiet Rose, who wants nothing more than to please her difficult husband; and warm, generous Helen, the exhausted mother of four rambunctious boys who seem to need her less and less each day.
Raising their families side by side, supporting one another, Rose and Helen share an impenetrable bond forged before and during that dramatic winter night. When the storm passes, life seems to return to normal; but as the years progress, small cracks start to appear and the once deep friendship between the two women begins to unravel. No one knows why, and no one can stop it.
One misguided choice; one moment of tragedy.
Heartbreak wars with happiness and almost, but not quite, wins. Moving and evocative, Lynda Cohen Loigman's debut novel The Two-Family House is a heart-wrenching, gripping multigenerational story, woven around the deepest of secrets. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1968-69
• Raised—Longmeadow, Massachusetts, USA
• Education—B.A., Harvard University; J.D., Columbia University
• Currently—llives in Chappaqua, New York
Lynda Cohen Loigman's 2016 debut novel, The Two-Family House, takes place in Brooklyn, a place to which she feels a strong connection—for two reasons. First, the New York borough was once her mother's home; second, it is the setting for her favorite childhood novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, a book that has cast a spell over Lynda from the time she was 10. "No other book I knew offered the same vivid characters or richness of setting. I must have read it fifty times," she said during an interview on Tall Poppy Writers.
Loigman grew up in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. She received a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard College and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. She is now a student of the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, and lives with her husband and two children in Chappaqua, New York. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
It’s hard to believe The Two-Family House is Lynda Cohen Loigman’s debut novel. A richly textured, complex, yet entirely believable story.... As compelling as the story line are the characters that Loigman has drawn here. None is wholly likable nor entirely worthy of scorn. All are achingly human, tragically flawed and immediately recognizable. We watch them change and grow as the novel spans more than 20 years....engrossing from beginning to end.
Associated Press
Where Loigman excels is in capturing the time period—1950s Brooklyn.... Loigman nails the way family members, especially parents and children, inadvertently pierce one another with careless comments or subtle looks. As the story unfolds, we are reminded of how a split-second decision can reverberate for decades, even for generations.... [T]he real strength of Loigman’s debut effort is her characters, to whom you find your loyalty shifting as the story unfolds.
Jerusalem Post
Peeling back the layers that surround an irreversible, life-altering secret, this novel weaves a complex and heartbreaking story about lies and love, forgiveness and family. Written from alternating perspectives of the different family members over more than two decades, the deeply developed voices will bring tears and awe, settling snugly into the heart and mind. It’s a reminder that love is always forgiving.
Romance Times Reviews
[E]ngrossing.... Loigman's use of shifting perspectives allows readers to witness first-hand...secrets and the insidious lies that cover them up. This historical family drama has a dark underbelly, but Loigman's decision to let the reader in on the secret allows the setting and mood of the novel take over as the characters move haltingly toward redemption and peace.
Publishers Weekly
In her first novel, Loigman uses complex characters to deconstruct the anatomy of family relationships and expose deep-rooted emotions, delivering a moving story of love, loss, and sacrifice.
Booklist
The Two-Family House takes you on a tour of dysfunction and deep and abiding love in a way that reflects the entanglements that come with a close-living family.... [I]ts examination of generations of a family with their own high expectations to live up to resonates on several different levels.... [T]his very literary tale actually gives readers so much more than it may seem at first.
Book Reporter
A debut novel explores the intertwining lives of two Brooklyn families.... That Loigman mistakes clamor for vigor is unfortunate. She had the beginnings of a powerful work here. This compelling novel strains beneath its own aspirations and never quite comes to life.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also, consider these LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for The Two-Family House...then take off on your own:
1. Talk about the personalities of the two sisters-in-law, Helen and Rose. At what point after the birth of the babies do cracks begin to appear in their relationship?
2. Discuss the husband/brothers, Mort and Abe. How are they different, and how do their parenting styles differ? Is it only Mort's wishes that drive the plot?
3. Talk about that fateful night, the night of the snowstorm and two births. What do you think of the decision that was made? Do you understand the motivation behind it? Could anyone have foreseen the consequences?
4. This book is very much about secrets and the lies that cover them up. Was there any point over the years when the secrets could have been laid bare, allowing the truth to emerge?
5. The story is told through shifting perspectives. What do the differing points of view bring to the reading experience? And why are only Judith and Natalie, of all the children, given voice in the novel?
6. Natalie tells Helen that although Helen couldn't save Teddy, "you did save me." What does she mean, and who else achieves redemption?
7. Whom do you identify with most closely in the novel? Does your loyalty shift as the story progresses?
8. Readers are in the position of knowing the secret from the onset. How does this knowledge affect your experience of reading The Two-Family House? What if readers had been kept in the dark like most of the characters—what difference would that make in how you read the novel?
(We'll add specific questions if and when they're made available by the publisher. In the meantime use these, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)