The Good House

The result is a layered and complex portrait of a woman struggling with addiction, in a town where no secret stays secret for long.

Superstition, drama, and intrigue unspool at a perfect pace in Ann Leary's irresistible new novel, The Good House, a tale steeped in New England character and small-town social tumult.

Despite getting a little preachy toward the end, Leary has largely achieved a genuinely funny novel about alcoholism.