The Skeleton House by Katherine Allum is a brilliant read. It is a powerful, thought-provoking, heart-wrenching story of relationships, motherhood, friendships and resilience.
Meg, married to Kyle, mother to Finn and Hallie is trapped in St. Stephen, Nevada, a desert town that Meg has been trying to escape since her teens.
St Stephen’s is a Mormon town. Meg’s family are sort of Mormon and Kyles’s family are True Believing Mormons. Kyle is a lapsed Mormon and Meg OTM (other than Mormon).
Meg’s dreams of going to college were shattered by an unexpected pregnancy and life as a single mother. Kyle courts Meg with promises of a new life away from St. Stephen.
Once they are married, and with their own daughter Hallie, Meg realises that the promises are meaningless. Kyle has embarked on his dream of building his dream house for his perfect family.
Circumstances force them to move into this dream house before it is finished — it is a “skeleton house”.
Throughout the book Meg reflects and shares with the reader her early life, her dreams and her relationship with Finn’s father. Kyle’s actions throughout the book show us exactly who he is, too.
Meg narrates the story, often with humour as she shares her thoughts, feelings and frustrations as she struggles through the life she has been dealt. Her quote on motherhood “I loved Finn with a ferocity I didn’t understand, but I mourned the loss of self” is something most mothers will relate to.
You will definitely cry with her as the story builds up to a devastating event. You will admire her resilience as she moves forward.
The storyline is well written with the characters portrayed realistically and relatable. Events in this small town and Meg and Kyles’s life will keep you engaged and turning the pages quickly.
The Skeleton House is well worth reading and a worthy winner of the 2023 Fogarty Literary Award.
It certainly deserves 5 stars.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading The Skeleton House by Katherine Allam. Read their comments below, or add your own review.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
So many women will be able to relate to Meg on many different levels. Im sure that once strong women, when in a controlling environment, start to doubt their abilities. Enter children and their survival instinct no matter how basic, kicks in. But it is not just for women, men can certainly gain a lot form this side .
As with many stories, tragedies occur and yes I cried, but it also became a trigger pint for Meg.
I admire megs desire for change and that her inner voice was not silenced.
A beautiful story that is very relatable, not only for the events but the characters and how things change for those in her peripheral circle.
My only thought was – what does the bird on the cover have to do with the story? Is it trying to say that Meg is flighty like the bird? I like the name of Skeleton house because it not only applies to the unfinished house, but also to her soul/life.
Well written in such a way that it draws you in, highly recommend!
Thanks to Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read Katherine Allum’s debut novel The Skeleton House.
Meg is married and the mother of 2 children living in a Mormon community of which she is not a Mormon but her husband is – she feels trapped at home in a caravan while he builds their forever home but Meg badly wants to escape the town – Meg doesn’t want a 3rd child, gets a job behind her husbands back and joins a book club which doesn’t end up being as her husband thought. Eventually they move into their house which is nowhere near finished therefore it’s The Skeleton House soon the marriage develops major cracks and then tragedy strikes – a great 1st novel that I’m sure many women will be able to relate to.
The Skeleton House has a double meaning in this story. Meg is struggling. Seen as the perfect wife from the outside but full of turmoil on the inside. She is a warrior of finding her true self in a tiny Mormon community. Two children is enough, no third thank you, a husband and a desire to find her and be herself. We read and watch as Meg finds her way with heartache as there is tragedy. A strong read for all genders and worth spending the time taking the story in.
The Skeleton House by Katherine Allum is a gripping, thought provoking story of resilience, friendship and a mother’s love for her children. Set in a small, predominantly Mormon town the small town life and religious beliefs of the Mormon and non-Mormon residence helps to shape the story. With well written, relatable characters and a fast paced story this is a real page turner.
Meg is stuck in small town St Stephens in the Nevada dessert, a town she has been trying to leave since she was in high school. Her life doesn’t go as planned and we find her married to Kyle and mother to Finn and Hallie. Meg is not Mormon while Kyle is a lapsed Mormon who wants his wife to stay at home and be a good wife and mother. Meg wants more from life and takes on a job without Kyle’s knowledge. While it is implied things have not been going well for some time, this is when Kyle really starts to show his true colours. Things come to a head when tragedy strikes and Meg makes some big decisions.
A thoroughly engaging read that I would highly recommend. Thank you Beauty and Lace, Katherine Allum and Freemantle Press for the opportunity to read and review this excellent book.
I would highly recommend to give this book a go as I found myself immersed in it, turning the pages till I could possibly allow myself in my free time.
A brilliantly written story and I`m sure a lot of women could relate to a lot of the frustrations and different feelings Meg had along the way.
I adore the cover too and can understand why Katherine Allum was a winner of the Fogarty Literary Award as I have still got this book in my mind and want to keep it there for a while to savour it I guess.
Thanks again to all involved for having the chance to read this as it brings forward the satisfaction and joy of not only finding a new Author but of why I love reading.
Thankyou so much
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the offer to review The Skeleton House by Katherine Allum.
The book revolves around a family consisting of Kyle, Meg and their children Finn and Hallie who live in the Nevada Desert in St. Stephens. They live in the Mormon community, Meg’s husband Kyle is a lapsed Mormon and Meg is not. They are living in a caravan while Kyle is building their house. Meg is feeling very confined and is not happy that Kyle wants her to be a stay at home Mum and have another child. Meg secretly gets a job and joins a bookclub where she relishes her freedom. Unfortunately a tragedy happens and it shows how really strong Meg is.
I think women especially can relate to this book. It is a little close to home for me and I must admit I did shed some tears. Having said that I did enjoy it and the writing was amazing. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. It is not hard to see why it is a Fogarty Literary Award winner.