The Smell of Other People's Houses Audiobook

Quotes

• A William C. Morris Award FinalistA New York Public Library Best Book for Teens, 2016

• An exquisitely drawn, deeply heartfelt look at a time and place not often addressed. Hitchcock’s measured prose casts a gorgeous, almost otherworldly feel over the text, resulting in a quietly lovely look at the various sides of human nature and growing up in a difficult world.

  — Booklist, Starred

• Using alternating narratives, debut novelist Hitchcock deftly weaves these stories together, setting them against the backdrop of a native Alaska that readers will find intoxicating. . . . will resonate with readers of all ages.

  — Publishers Weekly

• “An affecting story of fractured love and surprising redemption.

  — Shelf Awareness, Starred

• A multifaceted glimpse into [a] rich cast of characters. . . . An excellent debut.

  — SLJ

• The Alaskan author depicts places and an era rarely seen in fiction for teens….All benefit from her journalist’s eye for detail.

  — Kirkus Reviews

• Grounded in emotional honesty.

  — The Horn Book 

• An honest, gritty, and moving portrait of growing up in Alaska. Only someone who knows and loves this place through and through could tell this story. This book is Alaska.

  — Eowyn Ivey, author of the New York Times bestseller The Snow Child

• As only a native of Alaska can, Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock blends narratives of indigenous and non- into a buffet of pain and beauty. Highly recommended.

  — Tim Tingle, author of the series How I Became a Ghost

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• “An exquisitely drawn, deeply heartfelt look at a time and place not often addressed.”

  — Booklist (starred review)

• “Hitchcock deftly weaves these stories together, setting them against the backdrop of a native Alaska that readers will find intoxicating. The gutsiness of these four teens who, at heart, are trying to find their places in the world and survive against challenging odds, will resonate with readers of all ages.”

  — Publishers Weekly

• “The Alaskan author depicts places and an era rarely seen in fiction for teens: shopping for winter clothes at the Fairbanks Goodwill, living in a summer fish camp on the Yukon River and on a small fishing boat. All benefit from her journalist’s eye for detail. Though compact, the novel features a large cast of sympathetic characters.”

  — Kirkus Reviews

• “The Alaskan setting, with its contrasts between bountiful natural resources and cultural traditions, and abject poverty, alcoholism, and broken families, provides a rich backdrop for the story. Hitchcock’s descriptive writing is full of images and details that bring this setting to life. The weaving of the four stories is carefully plotted, and readers will be fully drawn into each of the four narratives. The unfortunate title will necessitate some persuasive book talking, but readers who give it a try will be abundantly rewarded.”

  — VOYA

• “Four teenagers’ lives intersect in unexpected ways. Dealing with problems that continue to propel modern teens—unwanted pregnancy, alcoholism, difficult family situations, and ambition—they try to find a future that is theirs…Point of view moves among the four characters…[and] this vantage allows readers a multifaceted glimpse into the rich cast of characters…[A] work of…beauty and gentle emotional richness.”

  — School Library Journal