House of Yesterday is an emotional stunning story about the past, memories, and secrets. It kept me up reading because I needed to find out what happened and was entirely entranced. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
Struggling to deal with the pain of her parents’ impending divorce, fifteen-year-old Sara is facing a world of unknowns and uncertainties. Unfortunately, the one person she could always lean on when things got hard, her beloved Bibi Jan, has become a mere echo of the grandmother she once was. And so Sara retreats into the family business, hoping a summer working on her mom’s latest home renovation project will provide a distraction from her fracturing world.
But the house holds more than plaster and stone. It holds secrets that have her clinging desperately to the memories of her old life. Secrets that only her Bibi Jan could have untangled. Secrets Sara is powerless to ignore as the dark truths of her family’s history rise in ghostly apparitions — and with it, the realization that as much as she wants to hold onto her old life, nothing will ever be the same.
Told in lush, sweeping prose, this story of secrets, summer, and family sacrifice will chill you to the bone as the house that wraps Sara in warmth of her past becomes the one thing she cannot escape…
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
As someone who has a family member who had dementia, House of Yesterday was absolutely heart wrenching. The ways in which it almost steals away a person’s essence and how the process of grief begins before they’re gone. From the very beginning, House of Yesterday had my heart in my throat. But as Zargarpur’s debut continues, I couldn’t stop reading. I loved the ways in which House of Yesterday examines the past, immigration, and the power of stories.
Events in our life can crash into our family and leave us with broken pieces and unspoken words. Deeply rooted in Sara’s family, House of Yesterday discusses the times immigrants have to (re)transform, to make new homes, and turn nothing into a life. If that wasn’t emotional enough, Sara’s story is a quest to unravel the truth against the forces of her family and friends who encourage her to leave it alone. To discover the secrets and memories a house can hold. Giving the title even more meaning, I could not get over how metaphorical and fabulous this idea is.
Not only is House of Yesterday about this family secret, but it’s also about reconciling with a former best friend, the pain of divorce, and the line between love and protection. Zargarpur doesn’t hold back as this debut explores conversations about uncomfortable and painful truths. About when the stories we have grown up with turn out to be lies. When the people we love aren’t who we think. If you’re searching for an emotional and heart wrenching contemporary with fantasy elements, you have to read House of Yesterday. Find House of Yesterday on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.