A review by bookedupandbusy
The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Tess is a black Londoner and the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant who is married to Richard, a white farmer. She has moved to the countryside with Richard to raise her family. They have twin sons, Sonny, who is brown like his mother and Max, who is white like his father. Their household is crumbling and the story is told from all four points of view. 

This is a story of identity, belonging, race, grief and family dynamics. It explores the microagressions one may face when settling into a new, particularly English rural countryside environment. The twins being different in skin tone, are conversation starters for colourism. The prose is also filled with nature; not a topic I usually gravitate towards, but it was still readable and insightful. 

The story felt such a mystery. Everyone in the home is broken and it made me want to keep reading to find out why. Tess is a well written character, she seemed troubled and I was never sure if she actually liked her husband. She struggled in the countryside but I loved that she always found comfort in going back to London to see her mother and siblings and stocked up on cultural food. The narratives are infused with Caribbean food. I found these chapters very relatable.

There is a major plot twist that comes quite early in the book. If you spot it, it will change the whole dynamic of the book and you will have a great reading experience. Equally, if you don’t spot it, when it is later revealed, you will witness the mastery of the author’s writing. It made me want to go back and reread the first part of the story again. This is clever and creative writing at its finest. 

The story felt haunting at times and Tess and Richard felt very detached from one another, but I couldn’t put my finger on it (it’s later revealed). I really appreciated Sonny & Max’s chapters it was a great insight into how they viewed their parent’s marriage.

Absolutely loved this. As a person who has read many British/Caribbean books, this was truly refreshing.