Family drama is a part of life. Especially if Brothers share a two-family home. One has several young girls, the other has several young boys. The secret shared by the sisters-in-laws isn’t hard for the reader to figure out. When will the characters realize what is going on? That question drives the story. Set in Brooklyn NY beginning in the 1940s The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman (2016) is a character-driven historical novel.
I found it confusing for the first half of the book to recall which name went with each of the adult characters. However, I never lost interest in the story. The families are Jewish, but more importantly, they are human. The author helps us to see the events from each character’s point of view. As the children age, they become individuals who are more and more central to the story.
The Two brothers share a business and a home. The wives are friends until they are not. From the bar-mitzvahs to the weddings the reader gets to share the everyday craziness of families. The Two-Family House invited me in and made me want to stay awhile.
Mindy, The Book Yenta 