Housekeeping

This beautiful softcover edition is in near fine condition, with no marks or tears and only minimal shelf wear. The pages are tight, unmarked, and the book is tight, square, and unmarked. Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping (1980) is a beautifully written debut novel that explores themes of loss, isolation, family, and belonging. It tells the story of two sisters, Ruth and Lucille, who are raised in the small, desolate town of Fingerbone. Eventually, their transient and unconventional Aunt Sylvie takes over their care, leading to a quiet but profound conflict between traditional domesticity and a life of drifting solitude. The novel is deeply personal, Marilynne Robinson’s own background shaped the novel’s setting and its meditative, poetic prose. It speaks to feelings of displacement, the tension between stability and freedom, and the longing for connection that many people experience.