Playing House

(This is another book by Fredrica Wagman)

From the back of the book:

“This nationally best-selling story of one woman’s struggle with the lasting effects of a childhood sexual relationship with her brother shocked American readers; it remains a literary work of enduring quality and value.”

This truly fascinating book first appeared on the shelves in 1973 and was recently re-released in trade paperback. Publishers Weekly called it – 30-plus years ago – “a probing descent into madness.”

Oh, they were so right.

Where Fredrica Wagman pulls these stories from is beyond my conception. She is absolutely one of the most compelling authors I’ve ever read and her books thrill the reader and writer in me.

This is the second of her books I’ve read recently. The review for “The Lie” can be found here. It just amazes me that I never read any of her work before and I definitely plan to read more by her.

In “Playing House,” an incestuous relationship is, of course, kept a secret between this brother and sister pair, although you begin to wonder if their mother doesn’t at least suspect something is going on.

The young man is the family jewel. He can do no wrong and is very spoiled. As a result, or in spite of it, he is very temperamental and always expects to get his own way.

When the girl grows up and gets married, all the baggage from her relationship with her brother causes serious issues and how she works through them is the basis of this story.

If you’ve never read anything by this author, please give her books a try. Just remember before you begin … these books reveal emotions that are both raw and honest, so if you don’t particularly care for that, you may want to think twice.

But if these are the types of books you like to read, be prepared to have trouble putting them down!