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| Plot Summary of Stranger in the House |
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"
Pocket, Nov 2003
ISBN: 074342364X
In Connecticut, pregnant Anna Lange plays outside with her son Paul when her ailing daughter Tracy cries out from inside the house. Anna leaves Paul outside as she enters her house. When she goes back outside Paul is gone.
Eleven years later, Anna is the only one that still believes Paul lives. Her husband Tom and Tracy gave up hope years ago. The disappearance destroyed family relationships.
Police Detective Buddy Ferrano informs Anna that Paul has been found in West Virginia. Albert and Dorothy Rambo raised him, but the woman just died, but not before confiding in her minister about Paul. Anna is elated while Tom is stunned and Tracy is angry. Rambo is not happy either as he is on the lam living out of garbage cans. The quartet face similar questions as to how will each family member react to the change in relational dynamics, what happened eleven years ago, and where does the allegedly dangerous Rambo fit in all this?
Fans of taut suspense stories will appreciate STRANGER IN THE HOUSE. The tale is at its best when each member of the Langes including Paul struggle with his return in different ways; thus each member of the quartet has a unique personality. When the tale turns into a life threatening thriller with a twist, the exciting novel loses a bit of its momentum and the climax relies too heavily on coincidence. Still Patricia MacDonald delivers a strong novel that readers will welcome.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Stranger in the House |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- present (2000-2010)
Family, struggle with
Yes
Struggle with:
- Son
Crime & Police story
Yes
Story of
- kidnapping
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- small businessman
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- accused criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Unusual Style:
- a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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