The First House

From Avni Doshi, an author who was shortlisted for the Booker Prize with Burnt Sugar, comes a captivating psychodrama that delves into themes of disintegration and renewal. The novel, recommended for fans of Katie Kitamura, Deborah Levy, Gwendoline Riley, and Elena Ferrante, offers a relentless yet exhilarating narrative. Katie Kitamura praises it as "unsparing" and "exhilarating," highlighting Doshi's exquisite prose style. Amina Cain describes it as "lush and sharpened to a dagger point," noting how it consumed her entirely.The story begins as a woman's husband unexpectedly asks for a divorce, shattering her perception of their nearly perfect marriage. Stranded in an unwelcoming suburb with her two young daughters, she begins to unravel. As she reflects on their life together, she uncovers warning signs she previously ignored. She ventures into the depths of her own thoughts, intertwining marital memories with myths of headless women and vengeful goddesses. She perceives messages in the stars and feels the presence of a vibrant, portentous natural world. During a summer marked by cicadas emerging after seventeen years underground, symbolizing ecstatic transformation, she too undergoes a metamorphosis, evolving and reaching toward the light.This novel explores the theme of unhappy families, depicting the poison that can permeate domestic life, turning the home into a battlefront and highlighting the threat posed by those we hold dearest. With its stiletto-sharp prose and darkly mesmerizing narrative, the book stands as a gripping exploration of unravelling and renewal.