The Irresistable Henry House
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To the ranks of iconic mid-century modern men Gump and Garp, add The Irresistible Henry House. As imagined by Lisa Grunwald, inspired by the peculiar beginnings of a real baby, Henry's life unspools with more realism and intention than Gump's, with less a sense of dread than Garp's. But Henry and his story have the same almost-magic magnetism. Henry arrives in the world as a "practice baby," passed between a dozen young women at the Practice House of Wilton College's Home Economics program in a decidedly pre-Spock era that discouraged mothers from holding babies "too much." From the beginning, Henry inspires in women the desire for his exclusive attention--but none want them more than Martha Gaines, the program director, who has spent her career overseeing the proper raising of a string of "house" orphans who were eventually adopted out. *- Mari Malcolm, Amazon review*
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Did you know that universities once had home economics programs complete with practice houses and real live practice babies? Neither did I! Lisa Grunwald's fascinating novel follows the life of one of these creatures from infancy to early adulthood. The twist is that Henry House, one in a long line of practice house babies, is adopted by his professor, an austere older woman who favors dictums to hugs and gives herself the intentionally ambiguous nickname of “Emem.”
Contrary to many reviewers here, I found the first third of the book more tedious than the rest. While it established the post-WWII time period nicely, there was a stale, premeditated quality to the writing that didn't excite me. A plot twist early on kept me involved, though, and things picked up considerably once the point of view shifted from Emem to Henry. By the time Henry became cognizant of his hatred toward Emem and curious about the cultural revolution that threatened Emem's close-minded severity, I was entirely hooked. The author hands over a few too many tidy conclusions about Henry's mental state, but he's nevertheless a fascinating character who held me captive, empathetic, and involved until the final page.
