I would like to thank NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on April 9, 2024.

What are the chances? Tess and Richard have moved to the suburbs of London with their twins - a white and black boy. Richard is a born and bred Londoner but wants to grow vegetables and bring the family peace. Tess is from Jamaica via London, she missed the buzz of the city immediately. . They and their children present us with 4 different point of view in this new town. All four members have suffered loss and Williams slowly brings us through each story - layer by layer, piece by piece.

This story was absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed spending all four season with the Hembry family and with I could stay with them longer!
#henryholt #thehouseofbrokenbricks

I'm a sucker for family drama and this one was so well done! The description and detail were spot on and I could imagine myself in the story mixed up in it all. The hardship and trials in the MC's marriage, as well as their children's, were gut-wrenching and written in such a beautiful, powerful way.
I recommend everyone read this story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for allowing me to review this book.

I loved how this book flowed. Short chapters with every character having a voice from their prospective. It is a beautiful story.

Tess is a Londoner who is married to Richard, a farmer. He transports her to the English countryside where birds hover over the fields, buses only run twice a day, neighbors barter, and no one looks like her or her children.

As time goes on, Tess years for the comforts of the city, and Richard obsesses over getting his crops planted instead of dealing with conversations he doesn’t bear to have.

As the seasons change, can the family start to heal?

This was an interesting story, a window into this family. Not much happens necessarily over the course of the book, it is more of a character study over anything else. We dive into the complex trauma of the parents, each of which we get from their point of view. We also get the point of view of their two children. I always find it interesting to get the points of view of children in books, and in this case, I found the children to be written older than they were stated as being. I do think that there was just something lacking from each one, just something I can’t quite put my finger on, but it held me back from fully connecting to the characters. This book was beautifully written, and the descriptions were wonderful, it was just that little extra, however, I did enjoy this story. I found the “twist” to be a bit of a let down and I kind of felt that it was a cop out in a way, or an old cliché ringing true. I enjoyed how the book was laid out by seasons, it helped break the book apart for me in a meaningful way.

If you are looking for a beautifully written character study with some beautiful descriptions, then check this one out.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company, @Henryholtbooks and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc. All opinions are my own.

This book was so enthralling! And also relatable.. a family suffering a great loss and how each deals with the loss so differently. the story speaks of each individual and how they are coping. the story weaves together each individual and then in the end they all come together with all the love they have for each other.

Thanks go to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for the ARC of the novel "The House of Broken Bricks."
Fiona Williams employs her undergraduate degree in biological sciences to use a polytunnel as a focal point of symbolism to demonstrate how a marriage fraught with tribulation can bloom into something beautiful.
Channeling Barbara Kingsolver with her knowledge of plants and lush descriptions, Fiona Williams explains how a house made of broken bricks can be the sturdiest of all.
Tess, a Caribbean Londoner, and Richard, an Englishman, from the rural area surrounding Combe Leigh, are married with twin boys. When tragedy strikes, their marriage is tested.
The family dynamics were extremely relatable, as was their friendship with Cyril, but the concern of the townspeople over the polytunnel and the sales marketing of the property near the couple and its possible effect on their lifestyle loomed more importantly than any monetary gain. Many issues weren’t addressed.
The book’s conclusion verves in a different direction and belies the complexity of the couple’s relationship. It failed to address the weightiness of the issues and the loose ends made the ending seem abrupt.

The House of Broken Bricks follows the story of the Hembry family - a biracial family living in rural England. Following the perspective of each of the family members, you gain an insight into their struggles and how they are all dealing with their own grief. This story was beautifully written, especially Sonny’s pieces.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the ARC

I wanted to like this book but it was just so hard to get through because it was a slower pace book. I felt it accurately depicted human life and struggles from everyone’s perspective in the family.

Thank you Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. Publisher for providing me with an ARC ♥️

"The House of Broken Bricks" by Fiona Williams is a heart-rendering tale that splashed a kaleidoscope of emotions across my soul - euphoric highs, gut-wrenching lows, and every shade of feeling in between. The narrative's quartet of voices harmonized like a symphony, each one casting a spell of empathy and understanding. A delicate filigree of mystery traced the edges of the story, tantalizing me with whispers and hints that culminated in a heart-stopping finale. This book shattered my expectations, leaving me awestruck and introspective.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams. This was a beautifully written family drama with beautiful descriptive language. It is character driven as well as the imagery is the focus of the writing.

The story is about Tess and Richard, a biracial couple and the seasons of their marriage. They have twins, Sonny and Max, one is black presenting and the other white. Tess and Richard’s marriage is cracking and Sonny and Max have their own trials. As the seasons change, the family dynamics change as well.

This wonderful novel is heartbreaking and lyrical. The descriptions of the natural flora and fauna in the English countryside is poetic and spectacular. The title is subtle but important to the essence of the narrative. I won’t give it away. I am so enamored I am using it in one of my book clubs. It is always so rewarding to pick up an unknown author and title and fall in love. I have never appreciated book reviews that give away the plot details. Discover the wonderful family you are going to meet on your own and cry but delight at the same time.

The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams was an extremely emotional book. I felt almost every possible emotion while reading it; joy sadness, sorrow. I liked that the book was told through the lense of the 4 main characters. This gave me a deeper insight into each character and made them more relatable. There is a slight mystery throughout the book, that leaves you guessing until the last few chapters.

I cannot wait for more books from Fiona Williams, She has definitely left a fantastic impression with A House of Broken Bricks.

What makes a life worth living is asked in this story about family and home. One family's unique journey gives us all a chance to look into the windows of someone's else life. The story shows what sometimes can be broken to being fixed in time. This rich tapestry gives whole new meaning to life and family. Go on this journey of discovery for yourself and see what you find.

I'd like to thank Henry Holt for this ARC via Netgalley for an honest review.

Strange family dynamics but this is truly Contemporary fiction to me. This book comes with some strong feelings!

Thanks to Henry Holt & Co. for making this ARC available. The House of Broken Bricks portrays a biracial marriage in the midst of collapse, twin boys who could not be more different in both personality and looks and takes place in the English countryside by a river in the current era. The story is told from the multiple points of view of the parents —Tess and Richard, and the twins— Sonny and Max. The prose describing scenery and setting is lovely and delicate, stirring vivid images. The parents have reached the point of being unable to hide their disagreements from the children, and Tess's sadness overflows into their daily lives. The light-skinned skinned child, Max, is less popular at school and suffers from night terrors. Tess has given up a career for Richard to move to this country town where he sells home-grown vegetables. There are interesting neighbors, weather extremes to deal with, and a house that mirrors the disintegration of the marriage. Tess has strong ties to her mother's Jamaican heritage and the dishes of her childhood and escapes into cooking, while Richard exits to his garden. The story seems to float along the flood plains of the area, and the parents do the same, each hiding in their separate domains. The author’s ability to describe a scene is well honed. There is an occasional head hop but, overall, this multiple point of view novel is told with insights into each character though I did not find the voice individual enough to bring the reader in tight with them. Ultimately this is a nice story, with excellent prose and an evocative topic.

Thank you Net Galley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While the writing was really beautiful, I felt like there were some things that just didn’t connect.
I think the author does an especially good job of having the reader delve into complex trauma. Realistic portrayals can sometimes leave us with a sense of both fulfillment and a desire for more closure or detail.
Overall this story didn’t grip me, but the writing was lovely. If you like taking on the feeling of more grief, you may enjoy this. I really didn’t.

In the English countryside, there's this mixed family dealing with the loss of Sonny. Max and Sonny are twins, but one's got Mom's dark skin, and the other's got Dad's light skin. The story flips between different folks' views, but Richard, the dad, is talked about like he's in a movie, which kinda shows how he's distanced from the fam after Sonny's death. Mom Tessa's in a routine, battling some heavy depression. Max clings to his twin's memory, and they somehow manage to keep the family together, even after this massive loss. And then, there's Sonny, who's not with them anymore but still watches his family grieving and finding life again in their home.

This story's real pretty in how it's written, and it shows how everyone deals with grief in their own way. The tricky part, though, is that it's not clear that Sonny's gone until you're halfway in. It threw me off and made it tough to get back into the story.

As much as the story was moving and the complexity of the emotions was very compelling, I can't help but feel that it was lacking a kind of glue. Yes, I enjoyed the story for the most part but felt that there was so much left out. But I guess that's life. And if there was ever a book that captured more real life emotions, it's this one.

Thank you for the advance copy of The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams. A story about love, loss and interracial marriage with twin boys. This book is beautifully written. Tess marries and moves far away to a new style of life in the countryside. Richard and her have twin boys. The book follows their lives through love, loss, grief and then new beginnings. I really loved this book. It did take me longer to read than normal. I felt maybe I was just cherishing the words and the poetic nature of it all. Each chapter is written in that characters perspective which I absolutely loved.