The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

 The Dutch House by Ann Patchett - 337 pages

Abandoned by their mother and largely ignored by their father, Danny and Maeve are left to be raised by the household staff and one another in the Dutch House, a 1920s mansion their father bought, complete with antiques and art, in an estate sale as a surprise for his wife.

She despised the house and the excess it represented, eventually leaving it and her family behind to serve the poor in India. In time, a classic evil stepmother moves in to replace her. Meanwhile, Danny and Maeve's father's real estate company, and his preference for property over people, grows. A tragic turn leaves the siblings even more alone and puts an abrupt end to life as they knew it in the Dutch House.

All the characters, including the house that gives the book its title, are elaborately developed in this compelling story of family, found family, and -- finally -- of forgiveness. The Dutch House, winner of a 2019 Goodreads Choice Award for historical fiction, examines the enormity of what we inherit from those who come before us.