Hemlock Lane by Marshall Fien
3.5/5 stars

I was sold on this book from the cover alone. I’m so guilty of judging a book by its cover. Now, this book wasn’t bad but it wasn’t 100% for me. I did power through and finished just so I could give a rating.

I think the story itself was heartwarming and comforting, but there were also times where I questioned the need for bits of information? Each chapter has a different POV from each bit of ‘family drama’. Sometimes I felt like this just made the story so much longer than it needed to be, and just felt unnecessary. I wasn’t exactly enthralled by the story and it definitely dragged on more than it needed to,

I will, however, be looking at the author's other work to see if this was just a case of not enjoying the story.

The blurb promised family secrets, conflict and intrigue over one weekend at the home of the Levitsky's in the summer of 1967. It opened well with a roadside diner and anticipation of a good story but ended up with a lot of backstory and no action. I'm afraid it left me dissatisfied and disappointed.
I wanted to connect with the characters, especially Nora the central daughter, or Clara the housekeeper but ended up feeling nothing for anyone. Revelations were not unexpected, nor shocking. Characters felt muted in both their illustration and dialogue. I keep having to remind myself what year we were in; there were a few clues in the text but not enough to hold me in the late sixties in upper New York State.
I kept waiting for a pivot point, crescendo or resolution of the many storylines being spun but like a forecast storm that never breaks, the book fizzled out rather than ended.
I can see what Marshall Fine was trying to do, but for me at least, he missed the mark.

Hemlock Lane is an emotional look at a family full of secrets, resentment, and complicated love. Set in the summer of 1967, the story unfolds over just a few days but manages to peel back years of silence and unspoken pain. Each chapter shifts to a different family member, showing how the same home and history can shape people in such different ways.

Nora, the daughter who longs for independence, was the character I connected with most, but what really stayed with me was Clara—the housekeeper who quietly became the family’s center. Her perspective at the end tied everything together in such a quiet but powerful way.

This isn’t a book with big dramatic twists—it’s slower, more about peeling back layers of the past than rushing forward. But that’s what makes it feel so real. It captures how family drama usually plays out: through tension, silence, and small moments that carry big weight. Messy, tender, and deeply human, Hemlock Lane left me thinking about the ties we keep and the ones we choose to let go.

A heartfelt, layered read—perfect if you love character-driven family dramas that stay with you long after the last page.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

This is the first book I’ve read by Marshall Fine, and I honestly can’t remember the last time I finished a novel in one sitting. Hemlock Lane is a beautifully crafted family drama set in the late 1960s, full of secrets, fractures, and the heavy silence between generations.

The story follows daughters Nora and Amelia, their parents Sol and Lillian, and Clara, the family’s housekeeper and confidante. Lillian is the quintessential controlling mother, clinging to appearances and tradition, while Nora pushes back against those constraints-rebelling and carving out her own path, no matter the cost. Amelia, Sol, and Clara each add their own weight to the family’s story, and the alternating perspectives let us see their truths in full light. Some characters are immediately likeable, while others remain cold even after their backstory is revealed (very much by design).

The structure-each chapter told from a different character’s point of view-keeps the story layered and dynamic. And that last chapter, told from Clara’s perspective, wraps everything up with quiet grace. It doesn’t just close the story; it reframes it, showing how an outsider who became family holds the clearest view of them all.

Fine’s prose is crisp, immersive, and emotionally sharp, capturing both the suffocating expectations of the era and the flickers of rebellion that cracked them open.

Hemlock Lane is more than a fine read.
At her father’s request, Nora Levitsky returns to her family home for the weekend where she grapples with her controlling mother, Lillian and peace-seeking father, Sol. The nanny/housekeeper Clara and Nora’s sister and family add to the dynamic. The story shifts through each character, revealing fascinating backstories, including dark secrets and some juicy lies, manipulations and a superb final twist. Hemlock Lane is captivating, humorous and thought-provoking.
Thank you to Lake Union for letting me read.

I really wanted to love this book, because the premise had so much potential. It promised a story rich with tension, family history, and deeply felt emotion. In many ways, it delivered, particularly in the quality of the writing and the way the family drama was layered. The narrative gave an intimate look at the characters and their struggles, and at times it felt raw and authentic.

That said, the story leaned very heavily on the past. The constant revisiting of what had already happened often overshadowed the present timeline, which left me longing for more forward momentum and growth. Instead of driving the plot toward something bigger, the pacing lingered on backstory and detail, which sometimes made it feel like the story was circling instead of moving.

Hemlock Lane is, without doubt, a detailed and careful exploration of one family’s pain, secrets, and dynamics. Each perspective added depth, and I appreciated the way the author showed how the same family history can shape individuals so differently. However, for me, the narrative often became weighed down by too much detail, sometimes going off on tangents that didn’t feel relevant or necessary.

I found myself waiting for that climactic moment when everything would come together, but the ending arrived before the payoff I’d been anticipating. While the book was beautifully written and insightful in many ways, I couldn’t help but feel it missed the opportunity to deliver the emotional and narrative impact it seemed to be building toward.

Overall, Hemlock Lane is a thoughtful, layered novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy slow-burn family sagas with an emphasis on character over plot. For me, though, the lack of momentum and resolution left it a more contemplative than compelling read.

Hemlock Lane is a very detailed exploration of one family and their troubles from the perspectives of the individuals within it. While it's well written I found it too detailed and it seemed to meander off into trivia which wasn't either relevant or interesting. If you like myopics and to delve into the minutiae of American family life in the last century you will probably enjoy it. I love looking deep into people's lives, but somehow this managed to skate too close to the surface for my tastes. There was a great deal about expectations, traditions and an avoidance of any real honesty from anyone. I also found the ending most unsatisfying. It wasn't an ending at all in any real way and we didn't get to find out what happened to anyone.

I enjoyed this book and kept waiting for something to happen; and then it ended before any of the culminating events took place.

I liked how each character told the story from their point of view. Compiling the individual "takes" on the same story brought depth and insights into how the exact same experiences affect individuals so differently.

The mother was wholly unlikable and I am unsure if we were supposed to empathize with Lillian at all -- even after reading her chapter which should've been a window into why she behaves/thinks/feels as she does did not provide mitigating clues to assuage her insufferableness.

I noticed an inconsistency at LOC 1102 - the story alludes to Lillian's suicide attempt after the birth of their first child, Amelia. In the same paragraph, Lillian worries what Sol would do if he were alone with two little girls. Nora's birth was five years in the future at that point.

I do have to say I loved the Robert Moses reference (LOC 1625) as I am a big fan of Robert Caro's biography on RM.

Clara was the saving grace of all the characters; she was real and probably came out the best of all of them in the end. However, the story stopped and the world will never know.

2.5 rounded to 3.

In this riveting story of family bonds and buried truths, a young woman’s homecoming becomes a reckoning as four days together threaten to shatter the comfortable lies that have held her family together.

Set in the summer of 1967, the Levitsky family reunites for a long weekend in the suburbs—an idyllic holiday for the “perfect” family. But Nora has always known better. Growing up under her mother Lillian’s explosive temper, Nora found solace only in the family’s housekeeper, Clara. That bond remains her anchor during this uneasy return home. Over the next four days, old secrets come to light—testing loyalties, unraveling facades, and forcing Nora to confront the truth about what she truly wants for her future.

I wanted to love this book so much. The premise is rich with tension, history, and emotion, but ultimately it leaned too heavily on the past—constantly revisiting what led the characters here—instead of propelling them forward. While the writing was strong and the family drama layered, I found myself wishing for more momentum and growth in the present storyline.

Hemlock Lane is a triumph of character nuance and development. The overarching story takes the reader through each member of the Levitsky family’s background, weaving their characterizations into the family’s current events. However, Fine shows that blood doesn’t always make a family, as Clara, the live-in housekeeper, has a profound impact on each member of the Levitsky family.

Each chapter of this book told the family’s story from a different members’ perspective. While the details were wonderfully intricate, they didn’t always lend towards the plot development of the overall story. Fine does a great job with each character’s backstory and layers the past with the family’s present in a way that builds to a natural, if open-ended, conclusion.

I’d like to thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reading and reviewing this book.

Nora is an independent young woman ahead of her time, academically oriented and career focused, who has devoted her life to finding an escape from her overbearing mother. Her loving father is a milquetoast, living in the shadow of his emotionally unavailable but demanding wife. Her spoiled sister is married to someone who can’t quite take care of her in the style she’d like and she relies on their parents to supplement their lifestyle. The most sympathetic character is Clara, the live-in housekeeper who has devoted her life to the girls, especially Nora, who is like the daughter she never had the chance to have. Clara sees to it that Nora launches into her destiny, leading a life of satisfaction far away from her family ties.

Each long chapter offers a different point of view on this family drama, but, for me, felt like a long-winded way to tell a story. As much as I cheered for Nora for her to step into her dreams and felt for Clara as ‘her girl’ left to start her new life, I didn’t find any real action to drive this story forward as it was based much on the introspective telling from each character’s perspective. As a whole, this book left me feeling meh.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book pulled me in with its messy family dynamics and buried secrets. I liked how the story unfolded over just four days—it gave it an intense, claustrophobic feel. Nora was such a layered character, and I really felt her struggle between love, loyalty, and wanting her own life. The relationship with Clara was my favorite part—it showed both comfort and complication.

At times, the pacing felt a little slow, but overall it was a heartfelt, emotional read about family, truth, and finding the courage to choose yourself.

Hemlock Lane is the story of a family with complicated dynamics and how they get to be that way in the first place. I liked how we got to see things from every major character's perspective. Reading this book felt like inhabiting every character's mind.

I have always loved books that are just a character study, and this definitely felt like a book full of character studies. It would have been 5 stars, but nothing really got resolved at the end, so 4 stars it is.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author, Marshall Fine, for an eARC to review honestly.

In genral, I don't think there is anything essentially wrong with this book.
I personally enjoyed the setting and ambience, the characters for the most part, I love a family drama with a character-driven narrative, and multiple POVs. And I recommend this book to any readers who also enjoy that.
I just didn't love it because I never felt connected to any of these characters. I empathised with their struggles, but I didn't personally relate to any of them, so I could never fully enjoy my reading experience.
Hopefully, other readers will feel more connected to them and enjoy this book more than I did.

This was such an engrossing read! Full of family drama, long-buried secrets, and the kind of tension that simmers just under the surface until it finally boils over. Set over one summer weekend in 1967, we follow Nora as she returns home to face the sharp edges of her mother’s temper, the quiet complicity of her father, and the one person who’s always been in her corner, their housekeeper, Clara. What starts as a “perfect” family gathering quickly unravels into a raw, emotional reckoning, as hidden truths and private desires bubble up. It’s messy, heartfelt, and ultimately about figuring out which family bonds are worth holding onto and which ones you have to let go of to live your own life.

I was really surprised by how consumed I was with this book. I had never read anything by Marshall Fine before, but I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more from him. While it’s essentially just about a family, I love stories told through different POVs, especially when they explore how each person deals with generational trauma. This was a great, fast read that kept me hooked from start to finish.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. My first by this author and I did enjoy the easy writing style. A bit of a slow paced familial drama, but all in all a good solid story.

This book is a piece of Americana set in a very interesting era, following the fortunes of Nora, a woman who might be considered a little ahead of her times in terms of her educational aspirations and professional ambitions.

Set in the sixties, the novel tells the story of an upper middle class Jewish family. Offering multiple points of view, including that of the family's domestic helper Clara, it does provide insights into toxic relationships and social constraints.

But this one was perhaps not for me - it moved too slowly and I found the frequent references to Nora's desire to escape her mother's clutches a bit repetitive. I have no doubt the book will find its readers, since many reviewers seem to have enjoyed it!

I enjoyed the author’s debut novel last year and found this latest book exceeded my expectations. It is a thought-provoking and insightful exploration into the overt and covert dynamics underlying a dysfunctional family.

The novel is told through the perspectives of five members in the Levitsky household. The chapters reveal both the current circumstances as well as the historical perspective as the family grew. Fueled by a childhood of insecurity, the matriarch, Lillian, has evolved into a grasping, controlling shrew who has distanced herself emotionally and physically while spewing her criticism and anger at will. Sol, her long-suffering husband, leads a dual life. He is assertive and successful in business but weak and compliant at home at the expense of his children’s well-being. Amelia, the eldest daughter, constantly seeks her mother’s approval, a hopeless endeavor at best. The youngest daughter, Nora, never bonded with Lillian and has lived her life with the goal of escaping her mother’s grasp by achieving a PhD and moving hundreds of miles away. Lastly, there is Clare who came to be the family nanny/housekeeper at the tender age of nineteen. She became Nora’s “secret mother” over the ensuing decades and, in truth, kept the family together by managing the household and her temperamental employer.

The family is in crisis as everyone conceals essential information from Lillian to avoid triggering her anger. The long-standing fissures in the family are revealed as inevitable change rocks Lillian’s world. The author approaches the humanity of each character with sensitivity and compassion, which is a challenge with Lillian’s personality. Overall, I enjoyed this novel for its depth of character development.
I would have appreciated an Epilogue to follow through with the individual storylines, but I also see the value in leaving an open-ended conclusion to feed the reader’s imagination.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

Hemlock Lane is a chilling and atmospheric thriller that expertly blends suspense with deep psychological insight. Marshall Fine’s writing creates a tense, immersive experience, drawing readers into a world filled with secrets and danger. The characters are complex and flawed, making their motivations intriguing and the story unpredictable. I appreciated the careful pacing and the way the novel balances mystery with emotional depth. It’s a gripping read that kept me on edge until the very last page.