Like a House on Fire

An electric and seductive debut novel about a woman at a turning point in her life, and what happens when she discovers the spark that makes her feel whole again. After twelve years of marriage and two kids, Merit has begun to feel like a stranger in her own life. She loves her husband and sons, but she desperately needs something more than sippy cups and monthly sex. So, she returns to her career at Jager + Brandt, where a brilliant and beautiful Danish architect named Jane decides to overlook the “break” in Merit’s résumé and give her a shot. Jane is a supernova—witty and dazzling and unapologetically herself—and as the two work closely together, their relationship becomes a true friendship. In Jane, Merit sees the possibility of what a woman could be. And Jane sees Merit exactly for who she is. Not the wife and mother dutifully performing the roles expected of her, but a whole person. Their relationship quickly becomes a cornerstone in Merit’s life. And as Merit starts to open her mind to the idea of more—more of a partner, more of a match, more out of love—she begins to question: What if the love of her life isn’t the man she married. What if it’s Jane? Compulsively readable and shrewdly observed, Like a House on Fire is a razor-sharp look at love, motherhood, marriage, and identity. It pushes us to wonder what it really means to have what you thought you wanted, and yet come to realize that there’s still so much more.