Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos

When I first saw the write up for this book, I wasn’t sure I would like it; it seemed like it would be too weird. But once I actually started reading Broken For You, I really enjoyed it. Margaret Hughes is diagnosed with a brain tumor and promptly sets out to change her life. She begins by taking in a boarder into her mansion, a young woman named Wanda Schultz, a stage manager who has secretly followed her ex-boyfriend to Seattle, after he left her. Wanda, ignorant of the tumor, finds Margaret odd, yet interesting, and even happily participates in a champagne-drinking, antique-breaking party. But there is a sinister history to the houseful of antiques; Margaret’s father was dealer who, through arrangements with the Nazis, was able to cheaply acquire the antiques previously owned by European Jews. There’s a sub story that deals with Wanda’s father, who deserted her as a child, and how he comes to terms with this actions. And throughout it all, the ghost of Margaret’s mother lounges around the house and offers commentary and criticism that, of course, only Margaret can hear. The beginning of this book was truly extraordinary but as it progressed, it kind of started to annoy me because of all the “coincidences.” I understand that this is a novel and some of that is to be expected, but it just seemed to wrap itself up in a bow just a little too neatly. That said, I still enjoyed the story overall and would still recommend it, though maybe not highly.