Sunday, August 19, 2018

The House Swap; Rebecca Fleet

The House Swap; Rebecca Fleet
Pamela Dorman Books - 2018

Personally, as a private person, I think the whole idea of a "house swap" is rather creepy. I'd never consider it, but, that is the set up for this novel.

Can a  one week "house swap" fix a crumbling marriage and a steamy affair?"  Caroline and Francis, who have been having some marriage difficulties, are willing to give this a try. In 2013, Francis was a therapist with some sort of a pill addiction. His wife, Caroline was the breadwinner, with primary responsibility for parenting are in need of an escape.  She begins an affair which a much younger man as a way to cope with the stresses at home. 

Now in 2015, they decide to swap their flat for a week with the owner of a house in an upscale London suburb, leaving their young son with Caroline's mother.  

When the couple arrives at their Chiswick, London house swap they finds the place oddly sterile with only the bare necessities. It almost looks like the house was staged. It isn't long before things begin to happen that seem to indicate that whoever owns the place knows too much about Caroline and about her past. There's also an attractive woman next door who seems to be a bit too friendly that adds to the creep factor.

This is a psychological thriller complete with flawed, unlikable character and some sex as well.  I found the first half of the book easy to put down and harder to pick up as it seemed to take forever for the story to get going, taking me 2 weeks to finish this one.  The story is told mostly from Caroline's POV both prior to the house swap and the present.  I actually felt sorry for their young son Eddie, even though he was a very minor character, as this couple were not good parents. 

Rating - 3.5/5 stars

23 comments:

  1. I don't like the idea of a house swap either. I think that's why I struggle with Air BnB even though everyone else seems to love it. I pretty much felt the same way about this book - the writing was good but the story was dull.

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    1. No Air BnB for me either. I have a friend I worked with who rents a bedroom in her house through Air BnB and loves meeting so many different people. She is the same age as me but, we are polar opposites. Wouldn't stay in one or rent a room out.

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  2. No house swapping for me, either. We tried Air BnB for the first time and even that was weird! Not sure if I'll try the book...

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    1. As I mentioned to Kathy, I have a friend I worked with who rents a bedroom in her house through Air BnB and loves meeting so many different people. She is the same age as me but, we are polar opposites. Wouldn't stay in one or rent a room out.

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  3. It is funny how one's own house can be both the most preferable at some times and feel like a boring trap at others.

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  4. We actually have done a house swap, once and decades ago, and it worked out well. This one sounds creepy!

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  5. Hmm, I don't know about a house swap because you can't lock up all your items and the strangers can poke around your personal things. It would be human nature to snoop (I admit to doing this one time when I babysat as a teen- I looked through their photo albums that were left out. Nowadays I wouldn't dare do that to someone!).

    This book sounds okay but a bit too creepy for me to be interested in reading. Glad you took away some enjoyment from it.

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    1. Not that I have weird stuff hiding in my drawers, but just the thought of a stranger peeking around is creepy.

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  6. I have some friends who have found some incredible AirB&Bs in New Zealand, but I don't think it's for me. I'd rather just take my house on wheels. :) I'm not sure about this book.

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    1. Yes, we have a friend who will only stay in an Air BnB. She even did it in Cuba.

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  7. No house swapping for me, unless it was a relative or close friend. The book sounds good though.

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  8. There is no way I would swap houses with anyone, either, and as this story showed us, it never ends well. Thanks for sharing.

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  9. Oh yea, that is a bit creepy, okay, a lot creepy!

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  10. I don't think I could ever do a house swap either, but I wouldn't mind reading about it. :-)

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  11. Found it at the library and am off to get it, soon...

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  12. The premise sounded like something I'd enjoy but I don't need any books that are hard to pick up. Pass.

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