The Red House

The Red House by Mary Morris is out now (published May 13, 2025).
The Red House

Author: Mary Morris

Published

Published: May 13, 2025

Readers also liked these books:

Harmless
See You On The Other Side
Super-Frog Saves Tokyo
Bitter Texas Honey
The Red House Release Date: May 13, 2025
Check availability on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate we may earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Award-winning novelist Mary Morris weaves together an unsolved family mystery, a poignant coming-of-age story, and a little-known corner of World War II history in this lyrical novel of family, loss and, ultimately, love.

Thirty years ago, Laura’s mother, Viola, went missing. She left behind her purse, her keys and her mysterious paintings of a red house. Viola was never found, and her family never recovered. Laura, an artist herself, held on to the paintings. On the back of each work, her mother scrawled in Italian, “I will not be here forever.” The family never understood what Viola meant. Decades later, at a crossroads in her marriage and her life, Laura returns to Italy, where her parents met after World War II.

Laura spent the earliest years of her childhood there before the family moved to New Jersey and settled into an American dream that eventually became a nightmare. Viola, who claimed to be an orphan, staunchly refused to speak of her life before marriage. In Italy, Laura finds herself on a strange scavenger hunt to solve the puzzle of her mother’s lost years. She is certain that the paintings of the red house hold the answer to her mother’s past and her search takes her from her hometown of Brindisi, deep into Puglia where she encounters a man who knew her mother and who illuminates little-known secrets of Italy’s Second World War.

Blending elements of true crime with settings that evoke Elena Ferrante, Laura follows her mother’s trajectory as she ventures north to Naples, Turin and finally home. Along the way, she confronts the dark truth of her mother’s story and at last makes sense of her own.

Excitement Rating
[Average Rating: 0]

Genre: Literary Fiction

Mary Morris

More books from Mary Morris

For book clubs & dedicated readers


Book club reading journal for tracking discussions and releases

Track your reading and discussions

If you’re following upcoming releases or reading along with a book club, this Book Club Journal helps you keep notes, track discussions, and plan what to read next.

View the Book Club Journal on Amazon

Recommended Book Release Guides
Excitement Rating
[Average Rating: 0]

Similar Books Liked By Our Readers

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *