17 Alma Road – Ian Gouge (published 17th February 2024)
A house filled with history and secrets is more than mere bricks and mortar; not only a mirror on the past, it can also be a window to the future.
“masterful..soul-searching. I would have liked to live next door to Owen and Maddie; I feel we would have been friends” – Siobhan Gifford
“a dextrously woven story of how the complexities of any given life remain with us, and remain too within the bricks and mortar that bore witness” – Jonty Pennington-Twist
”a beautifully crafted story” – Janet Burl
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The reviews:
This was a very deep and descriptive novel that analyses the memories that houses hold and its told through fictional characters.
I have great admiration for the way Ian Gouge writes and the wisdom he shares throughout this book.
If you like a reflective novel that is a relaxed read then this is the book for you. – Kelly’s books
This was a lovely little story where the house actually becomes a character in itself. This was a super interesting read with a unique premise. The idea that a house contains the soak and memories of all that has gone before and everything that’s passed under its roof and within its own 4 walls.
As we visit Alma Road and wander through it’s rooms, each one telling its own story – from the faded wallpaper to the worn carpets – we learn about the relatives who have come before and about their lives.
This was beautifully written and I really enjoyed walking through the memories held here but this also prompted me to stop and take a look at all the memories that could be told by my own house.
An enjoyable read which had me reminiscing long after I’d finished reading. – book-a-holic
I wasn’t sure to begin with how to review this. There isn’t much of a storyline, not in the conventional sense. Nothing really happens, there’s no action, no excitement. And yet, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
Who are we really? What labels would we apply to ourselves? What would others say about us? Does it matter if those labels don’t match? Is how we perceive ourselves more important than how others perceive us?
It’s the story that a house might tell if houses could tell stories. It’s the story of 2 siblings discovering themselves via the house they grew up in. It’s relaxing, calm, and almost poetic. It’s a story about life, love, and loss. And I wonder just what we might learn about ourselves if we were to revisit our childhood homes. – Charlotte at bluefairybugsbooks
As the novel progressed the characters grew on me and I liked the ying/yang of stolid settling-for-less Owen and wild, risk-taking, unwilling to settle for anything but the best Maddie. As I read the final pages I had a profound sense of how little any of us can sift memories from our own lives and our lives with others: random conversations (often half understood), ditto decisions etc. I suppose Florence’s revelations in particular contributed to that sense. I think when I have time to read it again I will appreciate it more. – Jim Friedman
I really liked the simplicity of this book, the concept of visiting a family home you’ve inherited and reliving the memories as you go through each room. The idea that long since passed relatives are in the house with you, memories being rekindled is a beautiful thing. I really like how this book is written, like you are meeting the family and learning about their life through the wallpaper discolouration where pictures once hung, the threadbare bits on stair carpets where people sat and the overgrown flowerbeds that were once lovingly tended to regularly. As you read, you get titbits from the family, telling secrets and memories along the way. Houses can hold so many memories and it’s nice to remember them, the family living there and the good times growing up. Enjoyable read and would recommend. – Emma bookaholic
Sometimes a house is even more than a home. Have you ever visited a house that shines so brightly it has its own personality? 17 Alma Road is one of those unique places…Siblings Maddie and Owen take us on an almost enchanted journey home unlike any other. Maddie carries an inspiring unwavering faith in their childhood home that has provided them consistency and reliability through the unexpected changes and turmoil. 17 Alma Road is a beautiful homage to the places that give us the firm roots that allow us to continually grow. – Callistoscalling
This book was an interesting read for me. Something different to what I have read lately. And really hard to classify what genre it would fall in to.
I love that this wasn’t a conventional read. I love that there was the rediscovery of memories and reliving them whilst visiting a family home.
I love that the house was almost built up a character for itself. That it could give away secrets about past experiences from how the house is now. And that each room offered a new insight into past memories.
The writing style was gorgeous and makes you really think. I haven’t lived in our house for long but this is a family home where my husband grew up so I loved thinking about all the memories that are held within these walls and what wonderful memories we are yet to make here. I would love to know what stories it could tell me.
It was such an enjoyable read for me and really thought provoking and I would think that if you want a book that will make you think for days after finishing then this may be the one for you. – bek.is.reading
The cover on this book is absolutely gorgeous! I am an outdoorsy person so this really drew me towards the book, as well as the blurb! Although I did struggle with reading this book it was still a really interesting read. I do think that it possibly took a little to long to get to the nitty gritty of this book, but I know some people really enjoy a real slow burn read which this is.
I love the idea of taking a walk down memory lane, on the grounds of where you grew up and I can certainly say that there are places that I would love to revisit and get all nostalgic of the memories made there. – Yorkshire Rose
17 Alma Road by Ian Gouge is contemporary fiction. I was slightly confused at the beginning of the book but it quickly settled down and came into its own mixing history with the current period, unravelling secrets making me feel that the house had its own personality at times.
Gouge writes beautifully and brings the book to a satisfactory conclusion with a surprise at the end. – Alisbookstagram
Ian Gouge has written a delightful novel that reminded me of the writing style of Virginia Woolf and Ernest Hemingway. I’m my opinion this novel deserves to be up there with these literary greats.
The novel comes from the premise that a house is sometimes more than a home. There are some houses that appear to shine brightly and have an interesting backstory to tell and when we enter them we are on occasion overwhelmed by their history, and feelings. It’s almost as if the house has its own personality and is a unique character. 17 Alma Road brings this concept to life through the eyes of two siblings who take the reader on a delightful and intriguing journey ‘home’. Encapsulated in the walls of the house is their story of joy, sorrow and reflection. It was an enjoyable read with an intriguing twist at the end. – Persephone
Coverstory Books - Ian Gouge, Publisher 
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