The Light in Other Houses by Anna Marschalk-Burns

"The Light in Other Houses is about infertility and female rage, finding one’s self, joy and pleasure, amidst disappointment and uncertainty. Beautiful, breathtakingly written, tender in a way that surprises and delights, and also somehow razor sharp." —Lynn Steger Strong, author of Want

For fans of Catherine Newman’s Sandwich and Rufi Thorpe’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles, a sharp and moving debut about a woman navigating desire’s twists and turns—for motherhood, love, and found family.

After three years of failed fertility treatments, Zoe is back in her hometown of Minneapolis. Her longtime partner just shattered her world with the news that he’s done trying for a baby. Determined to pursue motherhood on her own terms, she moves into a converted rental in the backyard of a former high school classmate to start again.

Across the lawn lives Danni, a charismatic bartender raising a five-year-old daughter, Lucy. From her window, Zoe watches the life she wants unfold between Danni and Lucy—the lively, chaotic pulse of a family. When Zoe is pulled into Danni’s orbit, she finds long-dormant parts of herself reawakened. Caught between the ghost of the family she planned for and the volatile, vibrant world in front of her, Zoe must reckon with whether it is possible to love someone living the life you’re being denied.

Sharp, tender, and fiercely honest, The Light in Other Houses bristles with the tension between clinging to long-held desires and finding beauty in unexpected paths.