Audrey Burges's A House Like an Accordion is a captivating blend of magical realism and family drama that enchants readers. The story follows Keryth Miller, a woman who discovers that her long-absent father, Morrison, is still alive and wielding his otherworldly abilities.

Burges's writing is both lyrical and imaginative, creating a vivid world filled with fantastical elements and relatable characters. The concept of a house that can expand and contract like an accordion is intriguing and visually striking. As Keryth searches for her father, she encounters a series of eccentric individuals and bizarre situations that challenge her understanding of reality.

The novel's pacing is well-balanced, with a mix of slow-burn mystery and moments of high tension. Burges skillfully weaves together themes of family, loss, and the power of imagination. While some may find the plot convoluted, the overall experience is wonder and enchantment.

Overall, A House Like an Accordion is a highly recommended read for fans of magical realism and imaginative storytelling. Burges's unique vision and captivating prose make this novel a truly unforgettable experience.

Thank you, Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

After reading The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone last year, I knew I had to read A House Like an Accordion as soon as I had a chance. Audrey Burges has a powerful imagination and she creates original and captivating stories!

I honestly didn't know what to expect from this story or how everything was going to fold out (excuse the pun). There was a lot happening between Keryth starting to disappear, trying to find houses from her past (and encountering people from that time period), and then us seeing flashbacks. There were also letters and news articles that could potentially contain clues as to what was going on. I was definitely curious to get some answers!

While this story had an interesting concept, sometimes descriptions were hard to visualize and too much detail was given at once. Especially when things became more abstract.

Fans of Erin Morgenstern will definitely appreciate what Audrey has in store for them. Now that my husband is an avid reader, I am giving this one to him to read soon. Give this one a try for something clever and unique!

(Trigger warning below.)

Movie casting suggestions:
Keryth: Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Max: Dave Annable
Tobias: Luke Grimes
Morrison (past): Matt Long
Erma: Sarah Wright
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TW: loss or death of family members

What a lovely book. Though there’s a bit of a struggle keeping timelines and characters straight, at least at first, the concept keeps you going, trying (in my case) to tie it all together before the author does it for you.Also, there’s a loveliness to the descriptions of each place visited - a way of seeing them that is almost childlike, which is probably the point.

What I loved most of all probably appeals mostly to people who had a childhood like mine, filled with multiple moves and changes of schools, many of which were inexplicable; feeling lonely and “other” while surrounded by normal folks. Finding it impossible to explain the inner life one builds. Those of a similar experience might find this story as compelling as I did.

Four plus stars.

Art coming to life is not new in fantasy literature. A House Like an Accordion joins this type of fantasy, presenting a family that can sometimes draw people and things into reality and at other times trap them on the page. The novel begins with the main character, Keryth, noticing her disappearing hand as she brush her teeth in the morning. This tells her that her long-lost father is still alive somewhere. Keryth sets out to find all the mysterious houses her family lived in, believing her father must be in one of them. It is also the story of Keryth's own family losing their mother and wife to her quest for answers about her magical powers.
While I found this book slightly tedious, it managed to hold my attention. It became more interesting to me as the story drew to a close and more about Keryth's background was revealed. This book will appeal to fantasy readers that prefer magical realism to high fantasy. It will probably also appeal to general fiction readers who enjoy stories about family dynamics.

This was fine, but it didn't fulfill the expectations I had based on the author's previous work and what sounded like a special premise.

This was a really lovely book, with a beautifully unique and well executed plot. I was instantly intrigued and while I did find the book wordy at times, I love a book that really goes for it on an unusual plot. The magical realism was fun to read and much of it felt like it could actually happen. A really fun premise that was just as fun to read!

I remember laughing uproariously (and, admittedly, a bit obnoxiously) as I read one of the "children's" books Dave Eggers did in the early/mid aughts, and someone (probably someone exasperated) asked me what I liked so much about Eggers. Was it his style? His cleverness? His, I don't know, precious and unique wail juxtaposed against the relentless void?
"No." I said
"It's that he's so impossibly lonely."

Because sometimes you just want to be seen, you know?

I wanted to love this book so much!! The beginning was too vague to hook me as a reader. It started to clear up towards the middle and got really good for a bit, and then the end was just as confusing as the beginning. I feel like so much was meant to just be understood somehow by the reader, as opposed to having certain plot points or magical experiences explained, and that just doesn't make for a super fun read.

I spent the first half of this book deciding whether I liked it or not because it was pretty confusing (though intriguing) to understand what was even going on. After the half way mark when we got a slightly clearer vision of what was going on, I liked it more. It's beautifully written, with lovely imagery as the main character searches for the houses she lived in to uncover her tragic past and bizarre family history. Well written, with a complicated story that deals with complicated emotions. If you like magical realism, attention to setting, and descriptive and evocative imagery, then I definitely recommend.

"A House Like an Accordion" by Audrey Burges is a unique blend of magic realism and family drama. The story follows Keryth Miller, who begins to physically disappear while living in a lavish Malibu mansion with her husband Max and their two daughters. As Keryth searches for her long-lost father, she uncovers the mysteries of her past, including the tragic losses of her family members. The narrative jumps between different times and places, with each chapter beginning with a house name and date, helping readers navigate the complex story.

Burges skillfully integrates flashbacks and various documents, such as letters and articles, to reveal Keryth's family history. While the book is imaginative and captivating, some may find the character of Max underdeveloped. Despite this, the novel's blend of magical elements and the exploration of self-discovery and family bonds make it a worthwhile read for fans of whimsical and atmospheric storytelling.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC!

This was an incredibly interesting story with a premise I have never encountered before! Keryth wakes up one morning to find her arm missing. She knows this to mean that her father, an artist with the ability to literally capture life in his sketchbook, is alive, and is drawing her. What follows is a story that goes back and forth between the present day, as Keryth tries to trace her past and find her father, as well as stories from her childhood. It's also interspersed with letters, news articles, etc. that paint a picture of her father and grandparents' lives before she was born.

The premise drew me in immediately, and I was even more engrossed when we discover early on that Keryth is a bit of an artist herself. As we start to get glimpses into her and her family's histories, it turns into a bit of a mystery that I, as the reader, was trying to solve. We are given small nuggets of information that start to point us in the direction of where Papa is, where Keryth has come from, and what is happening to her. The end is also extremely satisfying, and seeing everything come together felt like an "a-ha!" moment for both myself, and for the characters. Parts were a little predictable, but as a whole, I felt like I was putting the pieces together at the same time Keryth was.

Not to mention, this book is absolutely BEAUTIFULLY written. All of the descriptions of places Keryth lived and of the circumstances she had to live through as a child painted a very clear picture in my head. And, again, having snippets of newspapers, blogs, and letters kept things interesting and allowed the plot to move on in a really interesting way. Also, this being magical realism/science fiction, I found the technologies and capabilities Burges created for this story felt so real.

My only issues with this book were, admittedly, pretty minor. Firstly, Max, Keryth's husband, was a little too unlikable. He had a pretty significant role in the story, and I felt like his character was not developed as well as the others were. Even their daughters, who only showed up in snippets, felt better developed than he was. There were also times that I did get a little confused about who was who and lost track of the timeline a little bit. Finally, this book took me a surprisingly long time to finish. I don't know if that's because the very beginning and very end were way more engrossing than the middle, or if it just was due to the fact that I had a busy month, but I didn't find myself picking this up as often as other books.

All said and done, this was a fantastic book. It's something I feel is so unique and can be enjoyed by any reader, even if they don't have much interest in fantasy/magical realism. I will definitely recommend this to friends!

This book was weird but in an interesting way. I was entertained and constantly wondering exactly what was going on.

The idea that AI could be used to replicate the personality of a deceased loved one was an intriguing thought. It brought some sci-fi into what was mostly a magical realism story.

I enjoyed all the time spent as Keryth unravels the mystery of her childhood and to why she is disappearing. If you’re looking for a book to take you on a strange magical journey, then this is the book for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The painting that is the center of this story hung in my grandmother's living room. I have that painting now and it still brings me loving memories. Audrey Burges's book is like a tapestry with one thread that ties the whole story together. You will love how she weaves all of the characters and settings together to create a story that binds the past to the present and leaves you wondering what the future may hold for everyone who survives. Richly created with words and symbols, this book is a must read!

If you can get onboard with a seriously nonlinear timeline and enjoy magical realism, check this one out! It was really more of a 3.5 stars for me and the only things that kept it from getting a 4 was that there were times it was a bit hard to follow and the ending did wrap up a little too easily for every character.

I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery of Keryth’s disappearing limbs, her strange past, and the incorporation of art as the vehicle for magic. I think perhaps the conflict was a little light, which made it slightly less compelling than it could have been, but overall, I am glad I read this title.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I absolutely love magical realism and this book is full of it! A father who can literally capture life in his drawings and a daughter who is slowly disappearing. He’s been missing for 25 years but when Keryth’s hand becomes translucent, she knows he must be alive and drawing her…which he swore never to do. The only thing Keryth knows to do is search for her father by revisiting all of the homes she lived in with him as a child. Throughout this journey, she discovers things about herself, her family, and her old friends that she never thought possible.

The magic in this story is beautiful but dangerous. This one starts off slowly but sets up nicely for what’s to come. I ended up loving all the characters and shed a tear or two at the end. If you’re a fan of The Unmaking of June Farrow, you’ll definitely love this one!

The two points of view were flawlessly executed by the narrators. Even my husband who has never listened to an audiobook paid attention to this one in the car and asked me to take the long way home so he could keep listening! I highly recommend the audio if you prefer reading with your ears!

Thank you to Berkley Pub and Netgalley for my e-ARC of A House Like an Accordion!

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me as I found it difficult to get into the story, but I’ll check out this author in the future!

A HOUSE LIKE AN ACCORDION | Audrey Burges 🔑 @berkleypub #berkleypartner

Keryth’s father has the ability to draw things from his imagination into existence or draw something from real life and cause the object to vanish from our world. When Keryth’s hand starts to disappear, she realizes her father who has been missing for twenty-five years is still alive and she must track him down before she disappears entirely.

A House Like an Accordion drew me in with the unique premise and kept me hooked as the mystery of Keryth’s father, her traumatic past, and the magical elements were slowly revealed. This was a beautiful and atmospheric story about a middle-aged woman grappling with marriage, motherhood, grief, and complicated family dynamics while finding her true direction in life.

Read if you like:
-magical realism & fantasy
-complicated families
-midlife coming-of-age
-epistolary novels

A House Like an Accordion by Audrey Burges has an absolutely fantastic opening line: “I was brushing my teeth when my hand disappeared.” Talk about a hook. What is going on here? The author had me at the start. Unfortunately, the promise of that opening line was never realized and thanks to a number of issues, the novel ended up being one I had to push myself to finish and thus can’t recommend.

Keyrth Miller comes from a family of “art magicians” (my term, not the book’s). Her father, for instance has the ability to draw things from life that will then become trapped in his sketchbook. Keyrth, meanwhile, can draw something in her sketchbook that will then appear in real life. For various reasons, her family lived a highly itinerant life when she was a child and then for other reasons she ended up in a series of foster homes. Eventually though, she met Max, who was working on creating an AI version of his recently passed father, thinking not only of himself but of helping other people keep their dead loved ones in some fashion. Years later, they have two teen girls, and their marriage is going through a rough patch to say the least. This is when she starts to turn transparent and realizes her long-estranged father must be drawing her into his sketchbook. Thus starts her quest to find him via finding the various odd and usually highly isolated homes they lived in (she has very sketchy memories) and using what she can sense of her father in them track him down to save herself. She’s helped in this quest by the only two friends she made as a teen: Tobias (first person she kissed) and Erma.

To start with the positive, the book moves along smoothly and quickly in terms of pacing, some of the descriptions are nicely visual, and the magic, if not entirely original, is at least not the run of the mill fantasy sort. And while they vary in effectiveness, Bruges incorporates a series of brief inter-chapters made up of letters, newspaper articles, and the like.

I had a number of problems throughout my reading, though I won’t name them all here. One is that magic felt overly convenient — when it needs to be able to do something it can and when it’s better for the plot that it doesn’t, it can’t (or the possibility doesn’t get mentioned). Other issues included several holes in the magic usage and in the plot overall, conversations that should have taken place but never did/do to drive the plot, some thin characterization, some implausible points, and finally an absolutely, horrifying appalling act by the main character that I had to read several times to make sure I had read it correctly. As is typical for these sorts of reviews, I’m not going to belabor these points with examples/expansion or list any others. Not recommended.

*Thank you to Ace and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This book started out so good - a woman whose arm is slowly disappearing and a magical art ability? Yeah sounds great. Then it started to get away from the magic of it all and into some biblical stuff? It just was really weird but not the kind of weird that I like. It may be more for lit fic people than fantasy people.

A House Like an Accordion by Audry Burgess has one of the best first lines I’ve read in a long time - "I was brushing my teeth when my hand disappeared." From there the reader is pulled into a whimsical world where drawings can come to life, which is not always a good thing. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away because it would spoil your enjoyment of the novel, but I can say A House Like an Accordion contains themes of family, identity, and acceptance.

I don’t typically read many books with this much magical realism and I think I’ve been missing out. I had a good time letting go of strict rules of logic and reality and simply enjoying the weird ride.