Dream House

Home. It's a place built of our dreams and desires, our successes and failures. It symbolizes who we are as individuals, and unites us as families and communities. In the wake of the real estate bubble, as so many Americans struggle to hold on to their homes, this question is more vital than ever: What price will we pay to reconcile our dreams of home with the hard facts of our lives? In Dream House a young couple must face this challenge as they invest all they have in a house that will change their lives forever.

When Kate and Stuart Kinzler buy a historic fixer-upper in Ann Arbor, all they hope for is a little space in which to rekindle their troubled marriage. What they get, instead, is the news that a murder occurred under their roof many years ago. Flash back to the previous owners of the Kinzlers' dream house — the Prices, an African-American family who bought the home in the 1970's with high hopes for upward mobility. But a series of family misfortunes culminate in the domestic homicide that sparks the breakdown of their family, the loss of their home, and the incarceration of their oldest son, Walker. Lost and alone after his release from prison, Walker returns to the scene of his deepest memories, his childhood home, searching for answers that might free him from the past. His presence will force Kate to confront her own illusions and choices.

Dream House charts the shock waves that spread out from one terrible night to connect and transform the lives of two families in unforeseen ways. Inspired by the author's own experience buying a house with a dark past, Dream House will resonate with anyone who has ever held on to a memory, an idea, or a dream of home.

"A classic money pit scenario offers insights into the fragility of home, family and neighborhood in Pushcart Prize — winner Laken's thoughtful debut. Kate and her husband, Stuart, have been living a student lifestyle — complete with all-night parties and a rundown apartment — since leaving college seven years before. When Kate's parents help them buy their own home, they don't know that the handyman special was the site of a murder nearly 20 years earlier. Nor do they expect that the fixer-upper will be the wedge that drives them further apart. When Stuart walks away from their gutted home in the middle of Kate's ambitious remodeling, Kate forms new relationships with two men who have ties to the murder and the house. At times, the metaphoric potential in Kate and Stuart's cursed home overshadows the storytelling. For the most part, however, Laken avoids foundering in obvious symbolism, instead offering compelling reflections on broad issues such as neighborhood gentrification and the American dream as well as the personal struggles involved with marriage, family and the creation of a home." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Laken handles the fraught subjects of class, race and family bonds with equal candor and sensitivity in this powerful book." Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Embracing the volatile issues of race and class, "Dream House" charts the concentric effects of one fateful act on the lives of two families, and explores the connection between property and intimacy, illuminating the terrible price people pay to hold their dreams and homes together.

Dream Houseis a riveting debut novel that tells the story of a domestic drama that will forever change the lives of two families.

One terrible night. One outraged act. What price will people pay to hold their homes and dreams together?

When Kate and Stuart Kinzler buy a run-down, historic house in Ann Arbor, Michigan, they're looking for a decent remodeling investment and a little space in which to rekindle their troubled marriage. Instead they discover that their home was the scene of a terrible crime many years ago—a revelation that tips the balance of their precarious union.

When a mysterious man begins lurking around her yard, Kate—now alone—is forced to confront her home's dangerous past. Hers is not the only life that has crumbled under this roof. But the stranger who has returned to this house—once his own childhood home—is in search of something Kate may never fully understand.

Featuring a diverse cast of characters and building to an unforgettable climax, Dream Houseembraces the volatile issues of race and class to chart the concentric effects of one fateful decision—a moment of rage that will echo forever within these four walls.

Valerie Laken's work has appeared in Ploughshares, the Chicago Tribune, Michigan Quarterly Review, the Alaska Quarterly Review, the Antioch Review, and Meridian. Her honors include a Pushcart Prize, the Missouri Review Editors' Prize, two Hopwood Awards, and an honorable mention in the Best American Short Stories. She received an M.A. in Slavic Literature and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. She currently teaches Creative Writing at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.