Open House

Open House by Elizabeth Berg is a great read. Samantha Morrow is the protagonist and her character is 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 grounds that she is becoming too familiar, simple and appears to be contented 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. The last job she had was as a band singer. To keep the house and pay the bills, she accepts any job she could 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 epitomizes 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 worth of easy reading where I couldn’t wait to continue reading during breakfast, lunch break, and commute from work, because I just have to know what will happen next. I’m glad I bought this at the warehouse sale and then realized it was also featured in Oprah’s Book Club.