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If you think you have problems, read Town House by Tish Cohen, and you’ll soon discover just how normal, even boring, your life seems. This book tackles a very real and serious condition in a humorous and kindhearted way.
Jack Madigan is the adult son of a once-glorious rock star, living in a now-crumbling Boston Town House with his teenaged son Harlan. While Jack seems to be living a charmed life spending his late father’s royalties, everything changes when the royalty cheques start to dry up and the bank demands immediate payment on the mortgage. What does Jack do for a living? Well, here’s the problem; Jack is agoraphobic and cannot leave the house without either being heavily medicated to the point of drooling on himself, or he suffers a panic attack so severe he believes he will die. Is he in therapy? Of course he is … but due to the nature of his illness, his psychiatrist must make house calls (naturally). Luckily, Jack’s 17-year-old son, Harlan, is a fairly helpful fetcher of anything Jack might need, which saves Jack from having to leave the house. Harlan is himself a colourful character. “Obsessed with the ‘70s, Harlan spent much of his spare time rooting through thrift stores for clothing so uncool to be called vintage. Which was Harlan’s statement. Uncool is the new cool. He prided himself on his extra-long skateboard, his extra-long sideburns and his cereal-bowl haircut.” Lest you think Jack & Harlan are the only odd characters in this novel, wait until you meet Mrs. Brady, “Harlan’s childhood pet – a morose, one-eared, one-eyed beast of a tomcat acquired during Harlan’s fifth year.” Yes, you heard right, Mrs. Brady is a boy cat. Identity crises run rampant in this charming and eccentric story!
With the bank foreclosing, and Jack faced with having to pack up and move, you would think his anxiety level can’t go any higher, until you learn that his ex-wife, Penelope, is getting married to Yale, an overly enthusiastic health nut, determined to bond with Harlan by sinking baskets at the schoolyard or ‘sailing the trails’ on mountain bikes. Harlan can’t see himself sharing in Yale’s enthusiasm. “Looking at Harlan, in his Playboy-mansion paisley robe and pillowy white ascot, with his long, underdeveloped calves and brown, shiny, old man slippers, pushing his hideous-on-purpose glasses up his nose, Jack couldn’t see it either.”
Jack’s life seems destined toward an unstoppable downward spiral, until two unlikely characters impose themselves on Jack’s situation. Dorrie, the bank’s adorably determined real estate agent; and Lucinda, the little girl next door, who infiltrates Jack’s house and his heart in a most unorthodox manner.
It’s no surprise that Tish Cohen’s Town House was highly influenced by one
of her favourite actors, Woody Allen, and one of her favourite authors,
John Irving. It brings to mind two great novels: The World According to Garp and
A Prayer for Owen Meany. Read this book … preferably indoors,
with the front door firmly locked, playing a little Partridge Family in
the background, and remember: uncool is the new cool! |
Don’t
Leave the House Until You’ve Read This Book!