Keeping the House by Ellen Baker is a beautifully crafted novel on domesticity in dual timelines. Baker’s narrative is the definition of the grass being greener on the other side. Each matriarch has dreams of what life would be like had they made different choices.
The first family is introduced in the time period of the late 1800’s. She marries a wealthy businessman’s son and moves to their estate in Wisconsin. She realizes life with her husband was not as she originally hoped. The house staff takes care of the children and estate while she spends hours a day playing the piano. She longs to return to college and become a world-famous pianist.
The second primary character, Dolly, marries her husband in the 1950’s and moves to the same small town in Wisconsin. Her childhood sweetheart and now husband, Byron, owns a car dealership with a friend and works long hours. Dolly spends time with the Ladies Aid Society and soon become obsessed with the estate that is abandoned. She decides to take care of the house and learns through Ms. Fitz the story of the family that resided in the estate. Dolly believes that her marriage would be improved upon moving into the estate. She becomes lost in taking care of another woman’s home.
Keeping the House made me think of my own thoughts of the grass being greener on the other side. I think if I had that job, home, car, etc. that all would be well. In reality, that isn’t true. I miss out on what is by becoming too concerned with the what if.
Each chapter is introduced by quotes from housekeeping magazines published in the 1950’s which is fun to read. Baker does a good job of conveying the art of domesticity. Baker’s novel is over 500 pages of narrative from different character’s viewpoints-both male and female. The writing isn’t overwhelming in detail and stays consistent with the overall theme. Baker allows the reader to easily escape into the novel’s dual timelines.
Keeping the House is one of my favorite novels. I recommended for fans of family sagas and domestic fiction.
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