Helpful Score: 2
The Red House requires a constant focus by the reader. It is the story of two estranged siblings who bring their families together for a week in an English country home. Each family brings its own set of resentments, grudges and secrets. It is sometimes unclear which of the family members is thinking/remembering, which is when the reader's focus on maintaining attention is essential. Mark Haddon writes well about the dynamics of these dysfunctional family units, both individually and collectively; however, they ultimately are not people worth the challenge of attempting to understand them.
