Keepsake: A Novel

By Kristina Riggle

“This story of two sisters, each broken in her own way, is as unflinching as it is compassionate. I was pulled in from the first page.”
—Marisa de los Santos, New York Times bestselling author of Falling Together

For her previous novels (Things We Didn’t Say, The Life You’ve Imagined, Real Life & Liars), author Kristina Riggle has garnered fabulous reviews and established herself as a rapidly rising star of contemporary women’s fiction. In Keepsake, she explores that most complicated of relationships, as two sisters raised by a hoarder deal with old hurts and resentments, and the very different paths their lives have taken. As always, Riggle approaches important topics poignantly and honestly—including hoarding and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in her remarkable Keepsake—while writing with real emotional power and compassion about families and their baggage. For readers of Katrina Kittle and Elin Hildenbrand, Kristina Riggle’s Keepsake is a treasure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jun 26, 2012
• ISBN: 9780062136312

Kristina Riggle

Kristina Riggle is a published short story writer and coeditor for fiction at the e-zine Literary Mama. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband, two kids, and dog.

Reviews for Keepsake

[adalinefallingstar · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Love the book. Realistic, intriguing and emotional. its a must include on the list of books you wanna read!

[Sasha Johnson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great story,,wonderful story line, characters you will fall in love with. If you have some great stories like this one, you can publish it on Novel Star, just submit your story to [e-mail] or [e-mail]

[jepeters333 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Keepsake, she explores that most complicated of relationships, as two sisters raised by a hoarder deal with old hurts and resentments, and the very different paths their lives have taken. As always, Riggle approaches important topics poignantly and honestly--including hoarding and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in her remarkable Keepsake--while writing with real emotional power and compassion about families and their baggage.

[Kristin Jones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A heartwrenching look at a disease that has become coming up more and more through tv shows and the media - hoarding. The reader immediately meets Trish a hoarder who has CPS on her front door due to an accident in her home with her youngest son. Soon after we meet her sister Mary, who has the exact opposite problem an OCD cleanliness thing. Without giving up too much plot, there are reasons why each sister has their issues that are very deep and painful; they must come to terms with their past in order to start living in the present and planning a future.


As always, I love a story that has two narrators because I feel like you get an even fuller picture of the story through each of their points of view. The one minor thing that kept giving me troubles was the switch between the sisters in the narration and the chapters not being labeled and starting out with I and not knowing exactly who was taking center stage. Call me Miss Obvious, but I like things labeled, so I can quickly find out who is moving the story.


A book that I would recommend to any pair of sisters to understand how each sister comes out of a childhood affected in a different way. I am a new fan of Kristina Riggle and will definitely be checking out her previous books and will be watching out for her in the future.

[grumpydan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of two sisters; Mary and Trish. Trish is a hoarder and Mary is obsessively clean. They are not close but are soon working together to clean Trish’s home before Child services takes away her child. Together they learn more about each and themselves. Quite a story about hoarding, OCD and dysfunctional families. I enjoyed how the sisters worked together to save Trish’s family and the secrets that have been kept inside for so long. Getting to understand these women was easy as it was told from both points of view.

[pidgeon92_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting novel regarding a family's struggle with hoarding.

[jdy_26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Being from the Grand Rapids area as well, it was fun to watch Riggle use area Michigan and Holland references in her book. Beyond that,there were so many interesting things about this book, about hoarding, about relationships that drew me in from the beginning. The only thing I felt was missing was the ending, and finalizing some of the characters. Felt odd to me how she left things with Ron. Did Drew turn himself around? Did Jack pick up on all of the hoarding nuances as well? A good read all together.

[cindy8derington · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

All I can say that hasn't been said is after I finished reading this book, I went and read all the rest of her novels. If you like Keepsake you will like the rest of her works.

[pennykaplan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rather fascinating novel on the theme of hoarding focusing on two daughters of a hoarding mother - one is compulsively neat and the other a compulsive hoarder herself. They're estranged but reunite to clean the hoarder's house so Child Protective Services doesn't remove her son who was injured when stacks of stuff fell on him. I never considered hoarding a real psychological problem, rather an irritating personality trait, so the novel was relevatory to me. Interesting style written in alternating first person, and well written. Ecommended for an easy and rewarding read.

[nightprose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kristina Riggle definitely has a gift for writing about serious issues. This novel deals with some difficult situations.Trish is a single mother. She has built a secure world where she feels safe. She is surrounded by all of the things that make her feel comfortable. Trish is a hoarder.This all comes to light, as a crisis when Trish’s son is injured. Children’s Services is called in to investigate, with every intention of removing him from the home.Trish needs help. Her sister, Mary, is her extreme opposite. Mary suffers from compulsive cleaning issues. The sisters must come together, out of a mutual dysfunctional past, to save Trish’s children. In doing this, perhaps they can save each other and themselves.Hoarding often begins as a child, sometimes as an inherited condition. As with many conditions, it comes down to control. Hoarders learn to live seemingly multiple lives, in order to hide things from the world. Sometimes shame is their reason to hide, knowing that they are somehow wrong. Others are truly unaware of the depth or magnitude of their dysfunction. Some hoarders don’t recognize that they have a problem.The family situations that can create hoarders can create the extreme opposite situations, as well. This is illustrated in this novel. In order to control or feel control, some go to the opposite extreme of compulsively cleaning, ridding oneself of things, as a type of personal cleansing.Extremes are never healthy, in any form. Ultimately, to achieve peace one must find balance in our environment and within ourselves.

[whitreidtan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

We tend to move every couple of years. There are all sorts of pros and cons to this fact but one of the big pros is that it tends to keep the household accumulation to a minimum, or at least down to a dull roar. What I mean by this is that every couple of years as we're getting ready to pack up the entire house and schlep ourselves to another state, we take a good look at our possessions and weed them out. There's nothing like knowing you're going to have to unpack and put away all that stuff to make you less sentimental. And yet, each time we move, both before and after the move, we have an enormous amount to haul off to the donation center so obviously we're accumulating each and every day. I can only imagine the sheer volume of things for someone who has never moved and has only tucked everything into their home. But there's another level entirely, that of people who hoard. They acquire and acquire and acquire and are actually incapable of letting go of any of it no matter that their physical possessions can literally be crowding them out of their homes. The main character of Kristina Riggle's newest novel, Keepsake, is just such a person.Trish is a single mom struggling along as best as she can and doing an okay job at it as far as she can tell when Child Protective Services shows up at her door. It turns out that her seven year old son broke his collarbone when things in his room fell over on him. Living conditions have to change in order for the social worker assigned to the case to recommend that Jack remain at home with Trish, a fact that terrifies Trish even while she is outraged that a perfect stranger can mandate this and threaten to take her beloved child from her. While Trish concedes that her home might be a little messy, she maintains that no one is perfect, unable to see her obsession for what it is. Her older son Drew, a teenager who has moved out to live with his girlfriend's family because of his mother's out of control hoarding, enlists the help of his Aunt Mary, the immaculately neat sister who has drifted out of touch with Trish. Mary has just been laid off from her long-time job at an independent bookstore due to its closing and has had to face the reality that her boss, on whom she had harboured a crush for years only bantered with her as one would with a valued employee rather than flirting as Mary had hoped. But this means that Mary has the time to help Trish tackle the disaster of her home and to try and help her face the emotions that pushed her into hoarding in the first place.Although the sisters seem like complete opposites, one a hoarder and one an obsessively tidy neat-freak, they both come from the same place. Their mother was a hoarder as well. And after their parents divorced, in large part because of their mother's disorder, their respective choices of which parent to live with and how to care for their mother drove a wedge between them. Trish sees nothing similar to her mother in her own situation while Mary can only see Trish heading down the same path and taking her beloved boys with her. Banding together to make the house habitable again, Mary enlists the help of their father as well as her long-time friend, a psychiatrist who is taking a break from his job. But clearing out the house is painful and Trish is resistant, vassilating between wanting to kick everyone out and protect her domain and reluctantly allowing them to help her so she doesn't lose Jack. As they slowly work through the house, Trish's psyche and her painful secrets are uncovered as surely and inexorably as the carpet in each room reappears from under the stacks.A sensitive look at the effect of hoarding on families and the underlying causes of such behaviour, this novel goes beyond the surface of the reality shows on the subject and exposes the hurt and pain behind all of it. Trish as a character is likable even as the reader recognizes that she is in complete denial. Her desperate love for and fear of losing little Jack is touching and you'll root for her to overcome the little hobgoblins in her mind, sweep her house out, face her emotions, and rebuild healthy relationships with all those in her life whom she has kept at arm's length in order to hide her hoarding. Mary has her own compulsions in direct contrast to Trish's and although she is initially a colder character than Trish, you can't help but feel sorry for her and the damage she also carries in her heart and mind. Narrated alternately by each of the sisters, the reader is given insight into not only their longstanding family dysfunction and what formed each of them but also the way they each view the world and even each other. Their struggles to overcome the demons that haunt them are valiant and keep the reader invested even when their actions are frustrating. The secrets that are uncovered in the course of the novel are truly surprises but fit the story well. This is a quick and interesting read about compulsions, secrets, relationships, love, and family and will appeal to readers of women's fiction who want a bit heavier theme in their novels.

[kibosa_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I truly enjoyed this story of hoarding and the effects on families. Trish had many challenges through out her life and coped the same way as her mother. I think this book helps to enlighten on the subject and brought so many different characters in. This story left me wanting more...did Mary and Seth's relationship grow? did Trish get additional help and keep up with eliminating the clutter? how was Trish and Ron's relationship afterward? After reading, this book made me want to clean my closets, go through boxes packed away for years, and organize. Great Job!

[nise_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I closed this book with tears. It is a sensitive, insightful and emotional portrayal of both sides. This is a complex disorder and I appreciated the author's way of ending the story. The alternating POVs of the sisters is brilliant as it gives more understanding of their story. Each sister is relatable on some level. Trish's defense mechanism of not being as bad as her mother rings true as we all can justify our behaviors as not as bad as______. Another worthwhile read by Kristina.

[speedy74_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A beautifully written book from the prospective of two sisters who need each other in a very different way. Trish seems to be the neediest as she is threatened with the removal of her son from her home because he was injured by falling debris--debris caused by her hoarding. However, Mary needs her sister in a much different way. A single woman approaching her 40s who has recently lost her job, Mary spends time in a sterile home with few friends and seems to lack the confidence to make more. I was hooked by the first chapter as Riggle takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery for both sisters. An interesting look at the dynamics of family and how we often find ourselves dealing with stress. The hoarding aspect of the book was interesting and made me more empathetic of how one might develop this type of coping mechanism. Keepsake is a treasure to read!

[dday_70 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Decent book, but overall not that memorable. At times could be a little straightforward and almost made-for-tv-movie-esque, especially in the beginning when the parallels between Trish and her mother were so obvious. The book alternated point of view between Trish (the hoarder) and Mary (her sister), but I found Mary to be the much more compelling character and wish the author would have just stuck with her as the narrator. I felt that the author had a better grasp on her character and Mary seemed like a real and complex person, while I don’t think she necessarily ever “got” the character of Trish. While the author clearly did her research on hoarding, it seemed like the character was just an amalgamation of case study characteristics. I felt the real strength of the novel lay in the interactions and relationship between the sisters.

[ellasmeme · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Trish is a horder. Just like the ones you see on TV. I found her to be a most annoyng, but very believable, character. This was a fun read but with well-developed characters, each with their own set of issues. By the end, I found myself hoping for Trish to succeed. The story is set in Central Michigan, an area I'm familiar with having grown up in Southern Michigan, so that added to the pleasure.

[lfoster82 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a woman. Trish, who is a hoarder. Her husband left her because of her hoarding, her oldest son also left her for the same reason, and her youngest son was injured by a pile of junk that fell on him. Now Child Protective Services is mandating that she clean her house to keep custody of her youngest child, Jake. I enjoyed reading this book. My only qualm with it is that it dragged a bit. I think the book could have been a little shorter by eliminating some of the redundant chapters about the clean up but all in all, I really enjoyed the book!

[lrobe190 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Trish considers herself a messy housekeeper. When a pile of items in her home falls on her son and breaks his collarbone, she realizes that she has a much more serious problem. Child Protective Services tells her she must clean up the house so that it is safe or she might lose her children. Her older son, Drew, realizes that it will be difficult for Trish to accomplish this and he contacts Trish's sister, Mary, asking her to come and help them. Mary and Trish have not been in contact for many years, both of them suffering from the consequences of living with their mother who was also a compulsive hoarder. As Mary and Trish work together to clean up Trish's home, they learn more about each other and uncover long-buried secrets about their mother.Riggle does a great job of exploring the phenomenon of compulsive hoarding and how it affects families. It's a quick read and difficult to put down once started.

[willowone_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Trish and Mary have been estranged for many years. They both feel they were wronged by the other and neither is able to see the others side. Both women are dealing with the consequences of a childhood fraught with their Mother’s mental illness. Trish seems to have followed in her Mother’s footsteps and inherited her same bad habits while Mary has gone in exactly the opposite direction. When tragedy strikes at Trish’s home, her oldest son goes to find his Aunt Mary, whom he barely knows, to ask for her help. As lives are put back together & sisters heal open wounds they both find that family is important and can be counted on even when pushed away.The book is written from each sisters point of view. While one chapter is Trish's the next is Mary's, so you really get to see both sides of the coin.I really enjoyed this book. There was a lot of raw emotion and deep pain, but in the background there was always the knowledge that family is family, even with all its warts. It is hard not to know a little about the overlying subject of this book with all of the reality/self-help shows on TV, but this makes the illness more clear. I will admit that I don’t fully understand the mentality of a hoarder and why they just can’t let things go, but I found the book to help explain something’s to me, even thought it is a work of fiction. I think this would appeal to sisters, those that have a hoarding problem, or those that have family with a hoarding problem. I do agree with several other reviewers when they said that the end was needing something. The characters could have both had better endings. The story line seemed to hum along and then just come up a bit short.

[curvymommy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While the subject matter of this book is a little disturbing, the story itself was really compelling. Trish is on the verge of losing her son after he's injured at home as a result of her hoarding. As her various family members step in to help her clean up, it's not just garbage and junk that is exposed to all. Family secrets are revealed, relationships are renewed, and truth comes out. If you like the A&E show "Hoarders", you'll like this book. This story is essentially the fictionalized version of a "Hoarders" episode.I had a hard time putting this book down, because as bits and pieces of the past were revealed, I wanted to keep reading to find out the whole story. I liked the alternating points of view, seeing the story alternately through Trish's eyes, and in every other chapter, through her sister Mary's view.As another reviewer stated, the ending was somewhat disappointing, in that it seemed to just come to a halt, with not enough resolution of each character's story. But overall, I enjoyed this read, and can recommend this book.

[bookgirljen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While the subject matter of this book is a little disturbing, the story itself was really compelling. Trish is on the verge of losing her son after he's injured at home as a result of her hoarding. As her various family members step in to help her clean up, it's not just garbage and junk that is exposed to all. Family secrets are revealed, relationships are renewed, and truth comes out. If you like the A&E show "Hoarders", you'll like this book. This story is essentially the fictionalized version of a "Hoarders" episode.I had a hard time putting this book down, because as bits and pieces of the past were revealed, I wanted to keep reading to find out the whole story. I liked the alternating points of view, seeing the story alternately through Trish's eyes, and in every other chapter, through her sister Mary's view.As another reviewer stated, the ending was somewhat disappointing, in that it seemed to just come to a halt, with not enough resolution of each character's story. But overall, I enjoyed this read, and can recommend this book.

[suefernandez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as an advance read. I struggled through about the first four chapters, literally I couldn't STAND Trish, one of two sisters featured in the book. Trish is losing her family, and she continues to live in denial...buried under the emotional weight of her "stuff." When her young son is injured by falling items, CPS steps in. Her semi estranged family comes to help, and it's then the book starts working. The chapters alternate between Trish and her sister, Mary, who is compulsively neat. The book then delves into their childhood, Trish's divorce, the children and how our past can't be re-written, but we can make changes. They aren't easy...but sometimes it's something dramatic...like the threat of losing one's child, that forces us, kicking and screaming, to change. Ultimately, I couldn't stop reading after about 1/3 of the book...so it deserved the 4.

[candyh_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was such an interesting story dealing with how OCD - Hoarding affects all members of the family. It was fascinating to read a story dealing with such a different concept--something so totally foreign to me. In this story, a single mother of two boys must rise to the challenge of this "illness" in order to keep the boys from being taken away from her when the youngest is injured by a stack of hoarded items falling. Family secrets are revealed in the telling of this tale. I devoured the book, but was disappointed with the ending. Perhaps the author plans a sequel to this story! I am pleased to have been selected by LibraryThing to review this book.