Housekeeping: A Novel

hair, and arched eyebrows each drawn in a single brown line, a contest between practice and palsy which sometimes ended at her ear. She was an old woman, but she managed to look like a young woman with a ravaging disease.

Bernice, who lived below us, was our only visitor. She had lavender lips and orange

Families should stay together,” Sylvie said. “They should. There is no other help

That’s why families are so important. Other people walk out the door and they’re gone!”
Silence. A shifting of the couch.
“Families should stay together. Otherwise things get out of control.