ARC Review: House Broken by Sonja Yoerg

Title: House Broken Author: Sonja Yoerg Publisher/Publication Date: NAL, January 6, 2015 Genre: Women's Fiction Format/Source: E-ARC, Publisher Amazon     Barnes & Noble Book Summary from Goodreads In this compelling and poignant debut novel, a woman skilled at caring for animals must learn to mend the broken relationships in her family.… For veterinarian Geneva Novak, animals can be easier to understand than people. They’re also easier to forgive. But when her mother, Helen, is injured in a vodka-fueled accident, it’s up to Geneva to give her the care she needs. Since her teens, Geneva has kept her self-destructive mother at arm’s length. Now, with two slippery teenagers of her own at home, the last thing she wants is to add Helen to the mix. But Geneva’s husband convinces her that letting Helen live with them could be her golden chance to repair their relationship. Geneva isn’t expecting her mother to change anytime soon, but she may finally get answers to the questions she’s been asking for so long. As the truth about her family unfolds, however, Geneva may find secrets too painful to bear and too terrible to forgive. CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED Review House Broken by Sonja Yoerg is the journey of a dysfunctional family as they searched for answers, fought to repair broken family ties, and searched for closure in their lives. As the story unfolded there were some dark family secrets that came to light. I found the behavior of Geneva’s sister and mother troubling. The manner in which her mother avoided the truth and how her sister just accepted things as they were was quite disturbing. In the end, I wasn’t convinced that everything was resolved. However, Yoerg did do a good job of presenting a story that reflected the importance of accepting the things from your past that you can’t change, letting go, and moving on. Rating 2.5/5 I received a copy of this book from the publisher/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.