Model Home by Eric Puchner
You know those novels about families where everything–I mean, everything–goes wrong, yet you can’t stop reading? And laughing out loud amid the heartbreak? That’s the kind of book Eric Puchner (award-winning author of the story collection Music Through the Floor) has created with his debut novel, Model Home. The novel tells the story of the Ziller family, a group of 5 adjusting to life in southern California in the 80s. The family left Wisconsin to pursue real-estate wealth, and it’s not long before things start to unravel. Told alternately from the point of view of each family member, Model Home captures the teenage angst, financial stress, and marriage fissures that eat away at the Ziller’s American dream. Critics are raving about Puchner’s ability to capture the details that give life to his characters and capture the reader’s attention. Boston Globe critic Kevin O’Kelly sums up why Model Home is a must-read: “This book deftly captures the ’80s, a decade of illusory wealth, tawdry spectacle, and willful innocence – which also makes it the perfect novel for our time.”
“Puchner is a tender, humane observer of family life, and his lithe prose deepens our understanding of his characters.” – Marisa Silver, New York Times
“Puchner is an extraordinarily talented writer. He’s a master of mood and tone, able to make moments of pure hilarity follow heartbreak with the seamlessness of real life.” – Kevin O’Kelly, The Boston Globe
“Puchner knows how to bring home the ache, to let us feel with the characters that connection is only just barely out of reach.” – Catherine Brady, The Rumpus
“Puchner’s prose in these pages is forthright, delightfully detailed, with the distance he strikes from his characters just right” – Alan Cheuse, Chicago Tribune
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