A quirky and astonishing novel, equal parts melancholy and humorous. I found myself comparing it to Jonathan Evison's All About Lulu--the 80s California setting, the offbeat characters and events, the occasionally heart-breaking prose struck similar chords. What Puchner does within these parameters is switch points of view, mostly effortlessly, between the five members of the Ziller family: dad Warren, mom Camille, oldest son Dustin, daughter Lyle, and youngest child Jonas. He wrings a lot of tension out of the dramatic irony: we know important information that other characters don't. A character will do something, and three pages later another character will witness the action yet not understand it as we do. But rather than ratcheting up a hokey sense of suspense, Puchner slowly turns the pressure up, and we are driven to care because we're invested in his characters. The tragedy that strikes the family--alluded to on the dust jacket flap--completely surprised me, and changed the story rather dramatically without throwing me off.

I will say that Warren, the father, whose dream of California bliss and riches comes up short, was at times the least compelling of the characters. The novel's events spin around Warren's choices and bad luck, and Puchner draws him well enough, but when I was reading about Warren, I found myself wanting to go back to the other characters. As for the ending...well, I'll leave that to others. But Model Home is an excellent read. ( )

I did not enjoy reading this book, and was very relieved to finish it and move on. Although the author can write, the book was a slog with one miserable character after another making the wrong decisions, leading to grim consequences. Unlike Olive Kitteridge, where superb writing celebrated a hateful character, this writer could not find the delicate balance needed. ( )

Wow, I really liked this. I went in expecting it to be just one more of the family-in-crisis books that seem to be dominating the Tournament of Books this year. But I loved it. The writing is good, I cared about all the main characters--I thought it was fantastic. (Having said that, it probably should really be 4 1/2 stars because there are some anachronisms--although that sort of thing doesn't bother me as much as it bothers others--and some meandering in the second half, with the introduction of a couple of characters who didn't really work.) ( )

Wow, I really liked this. I went in expecting it to be just one more of the family-in-crisis books that seem to be dominating the Tournament of Books this year. But I loved it. The writing is good, I cared about all the main characters--I thought it was fantastic. (Having said that, it probably should really be 4 1/2 stars because there are some anachronisms--although that sort of thing doesn't bother me as much as it bothers others--and some meandering in the second half, with the introduction of a couple of characters who didn't really work.) ( )

Model Home is Eric Puchner's debut novel about a family dealing with failure. A failed real estate venture sends Warren Ziller's family into an economic down turn, but, truthfully, the family was already disjointed and spiraling out of control and away from any connection with each other before their American dream became a nightmare. Model Home opens in the summer of 1985, right after Warren's car has been repossessed, but before his family knows the truth about he family's financial condition.

Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character, mainly Ziller family members. This includes Warren, Camille (his wife), Lyle (daughter), Dustin and Jonas (sons). Even while their illusions of happiness slip away from them, the reader will realize that the Zillers were never happy to begin with. The novel is alternately depressing, and heartbreaking. There are funny moments, but they are few and far between. And the depressing addition of the diminished capacity of the family's dog was more than I could take

Puchner is certainly a talented writer whose ability elevated this tale about a dysfunctional family above the norm, however, in the end I didn't feel like Model Home broke any new ground. The characters felt stereotypical, flat, and emotionally stunted. The good news is that this was a debut novel, which makes Puchner a writer to watch.

highly recommended for the writing, but be forewarned that it is a depressing story; http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/
( )