Look at this pretty!

Hausfrau. You all know the book, that gorgeous, shiny blue business over on the right. It's the one that's been making waves in the blogosphere since the ARC was released in late 2014. It's the story of Anna Benz, a depressed, unfulfilled housewife in Zürich. She sees a Jungian psychoanalyst, takes German lessons, and has several steamy affairs, but these only serve to momentarily help her forget her emotionally vacant marriage and desperate yearning for a more purposeful existence. It's short, it's devastating, and there were moments I related to all too much:

"'All self-knowledge begins in the shadow's black rooms. Enter those rooms, Anna. Address the shadow face-to-face. Ask your questions. Listen to the answers. Respect the answers. The shadow will tell you everything. Why it is you hate. Who it is you love. How to heal. How to sit with sadness. How to grieve. How to live. How to die.'"

I thought this was a very solid book—I'd put myself squarely between Andi's resounding "meh" and Monika's breathless amazement. In lieu of more fleshed-out review from me, I'm going to share a few blog posts that summarize my thoughts and feelings about this book much more eloquently than I can.

• Leah @ Books Speak Volumes wonders if an ill-chosen comparison to a classic novel (on the dust jacket, no less!) might wreck the Hausfrau experience for some readers. I'd had the relevant plot point spoiled for me before I read, but I do wonder if I'd have been surprised had I gone in blind.


• April @ The Steadfast Reader reflects on the novel's portrayal of depression and its lack of an "easy fix." As you might guess from the quotation I chose above, this resonated with me as well.


• Shannon @ River City Reading thinks that lovers of Hausfrau might dig Showtime's The Affair. The trailer she included might have had me fanning myself. Heeeey, McNulty, you're looking good these days.


• Amanda @ Gun in Act One really didn't like Anna but found her story compelling anyway. Anna certainly had her unsavory traits, but I think unlikable characters bother me the most when they also seem unrealistic. Anna felt very real to me.

Still itching for more thoughts on this one? Check out the extensive, spoiler-filled discussion over at The Socratic Salon!