House Work

TitleHouse Work
Year of Publication1994
Publication TypeNovel
Number of Pages or Episodes198 p.
LanguageEnglish
AuthorsMcGrath, Kristina
PublisherBridge Works Publishing Company
CityBridgehampton, NY
Keywordsalcoholism; German Americans; people with mental illness; Roman Catholics
Abstract

Guy and Anna Hallissey wed after World War II and raise a working-class Catholic family. However, Guy suffers from alcoholism and mental illness, which strains the marriage. Defying the advice of the parish priest, Anna leaves Guy, re-establishes a home for her children, and independently earns a living for the kids by doing house work.

Notes

The novel was chosen by The New York Times Book Review as a notable book of 1994.

Author Biography

Kristina McGrath (1950— ), born and raised in Pittsburgh, earned her BA at Chatham College and MFA at Columbia University. She taught in New York, California, and Kentucky.

Time

1945-68