Emily Klein is a home care nurse.  For the most part, she really likes her job, going to visit people in their homes to care for them.  However, her new assignment is different.  She wants to get out of it but her boss won’t budge.  So now she has a new patient, Pippa Glenning, she is a pregnant cult member under house arrest for the death of her daughter during a Solstice Ceremony. 
 

“The morning after last year’s solstice, the family had searched for the toddlers in the blowing, drifting snow.  All day they hunted and the next and the next, taking turns staying with the twins.” Pippa- Page 27
There are two cult members in jail for the death, awaiting trail and Pippa is left with trying to keep the household going without them. She was a 16 years old runaway when one of the cult members, Francie,  found her and brought her home to the cult.  It was the first time she ever felt acceptance.
Pippa and Emily grow to trust each other and even have a kind of friendship.  However, what Pippa asks her to do to cause her to lose her job.  As the pregnant woman of the cult this year, she is expected to dance for Isis at the Solstice Ceremony.  She needs to find a way to leave home to do this and want Emily to help her.


Emily has other issues going on in her life as well.  Her father was arrested and put in prison while she was a child.  Her mother eventually commits suicide and leaves Emily with her aunt.  She has been running away from this her entire adult life.  It all comes to a head when her grandfather dies and she is expected to go home to face her extended family including her aunt. 
She also lives with her cousin with a daughter with Spina Bifida, Zoe.  Emily is always home by the time Zoe gets home from school to care for her.  She loves Zoe like she’s her own daughter.

Will Emily risk her career and even face possible arrest to help Pippa beat the house arrest to attend the Solstice Ceremony?  I highly recommend you read this book to find out.

This is a book chalk full of well developed and quirky characters.  The plot and subplot are well thought out and richly developed.  House Arrest is a compelling book that kept me reading until the last page. I truly did not want this book to end.  This is Ms Meeropol’s first novel, I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

4.5/5

I won a advance readers copy of this book from Rose City Reader.
Did you review House Arrest?  I would love to read your thoughts on it!  Please leave a link in the comments and I will post it here.


Tweet

Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.