Open House by Elizabeth Berg is a great read. Samantha Morrow is the protagonist, and she feels so real you’d feel for her, especially if you’re a woman.
Samantha (or Sam) has just been dumped by her husband, David, on the grounds that she is becoming too familiar, too simple and seems content with her life as is. She was left with her 11-year-old son while David moves out to his own condo, and she doesn’t have a job. Her last job was as a band singer. To keep the house and pay the bills, she accepts any job she can get from the job agency. To further make ends meet, she also opens her house to a series of lodgers. Then, she meets King, and things begin to brighten up…
Sam epitomises all the emotions a woman is going through in a divorce: fear, anger, sorrow, disappointment, uncertainty. I like Berg’s writing style. Open House is a 241-page book of easy reading, and I couldn’t wait to keep going during breakfast, lunch break, and my commute from work because I just had to know what would happen next. I’m glad I bought this at the warehouse sale and then realised it was also featured in Oprah’s Book Club.
