Ann Patchett’s latest beautiful publication (expected September 2019), follows the lives of Danny and Maeve (brother and sister) living in the USA. We meet them as they are growing up in The Dutch House – and Danny’s narration follows their lives as they grow, move, and embark on their own adventures throughout their lives.

It is rare that an object becomes such a pivotal character of a novel – but Ann Patchett has achieved this quite well in her portrayal of The Dutch House throughout this book. The Dutch House becomes a character in itself – an important part of the story and of the history of Danny and Maeve’s lives.

The narration is patchy – it’s a puzzle that is gradually put together as the book progresses. We are given snippets of the future as we are being taught about the past and vice versa. In many other books this style has frustrated me – but it felt just right for The Dutch House – that we should be given glimpses of the significant past and the impactive future.

Ann Patchett is a story teller – there’s no doubt that her words are consistently beautiful enough to pay equal attention to characters, scenery and places. The Dutch House is the book to read this Autumn – for family saga, history, drama and beautiful architecture.

The Dutch House will be published by Bloomsbury Publishing on September 24th 2019 and is available to be pre-ordered.