A Desirable Residence, by Madeline Wickham, is a story with multiple characters and a hazy ending. The story centers on the Chambers family. Liz and Jonathan buy a tutorial college taking out several loans to do so. They are both teachers and are anxious to get going on their new venture. Their daughter Alice is a sulky teen who smokes in the garage of the house she no longer lives in. Other characters include Marcus the realtor who is attempting to help Liz rent her house, and Ginny and Piers, the new tenants. We also get to see the story through the eyes of Marcus's stressed out wife and his two sons.
The lives of these characters intertwine in a very believable way. There are affairs, crushes, obsessions, and career failures that color the few months time in which the book takes place. We are ultimately left with a bit of hope and a bit of heartbreak. The story never really ends. There isn't a neat and tidy ending for any of them. I'm still wondering where Ginny and Piers went.
All in all, the story was entertaining enough to keep me reading. I was hoping for a happy ending. Every book I read lately has an open ending. I need to find a happy ever after book to read next! It's a good book but not a great one. It's worth a read.
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