Town House: A Novel

By Tish Cohen

Jack Madigan should be leading an enviable life. He’s the sole heir of a ’70s rock icon. He lives with his retro-obsessed teenage son, Harlan, in a once-magnificent Boston town house. But now 36, Jack’s painting career is buckling under a raging case of agoraphobia. And when the foreclosure notice arrives, Jack must face losing the only home he’s ever known—and his only safe zone. When Jack’s ex-wife announces that Harlan would be better off living with her and her vitamin-enriched fiancé, Jack has to figure out how to deter the perky, inexperienced real-estate agent, hold on to his house, keep his son at home, and—through the tenacity of the little girl next door—finally step out onto the sidewalk.

Fox 2000 swooped in to pre-empt the film rights while Town House was still on submission to publishers. Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions is set to produce the movie and Pulitzer Prize-winning screenwriter Doug Wright (Memoirs of a Geisha) is adapting the screenplay. A book with the ability to both entertain and move us, Town House is a smart, acerbic novel bursting with heart and quirky charm.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jun 22, 2010
• ISBN: 9781443400466

Tish Cohen

TISH COHEN is the author of bestselling novels for adults and young readers, many of them in development for film. Her first novel, Town House, was a regional finalist for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book. Her more recent novel, The Truth About Delilah Blue, was a Globe and Mail Best Book. Cohen recently sold an original TV series to ABC/Corus Entertainment, and her short film, Russet Season, premiered at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival in 2017. She lives in Toronto and Creemore, Ontario, where she rides dressage, accompanied by a most inappropriate farm dog, her Standard Poodle, Gracie. Web: TishCohen.com  

Reviews for Town House

[mreade_5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I just finished it over the weekend. It was a fun read. In some ways it reminded me of Paul Quarrington's Whale Music.Jack is a very rich character. He tries hard as a father and as a father figure for Lucinda which is what makes him lovable. Lucinda is another great character who is both insightful and self absorbed...the perfect combination for a nine year old. Harlan and Dorrie are also strong, multi facetted characters.I was suprised how funny the book was. I have already recommended it to friends.As an aside, does anyone here suffer from anxiety problems? Or live with someone who does? If so, how did you find the portrayal of the problem and how it affected the people around Jack?Well...I have a mixed response to her treatment of Jack's problem. In my experience with people with anxiety disorders it's usually a progression from uncomfortable, to panic-ey, to incapacitated. Of course, my experience is limited...it may affect different people differently. I did find it rather odd that Jack left the house a few times then his anxiety fell down on him like a ton of bricks rather than building over time.Additionally I found Harlan to be more understanding of his father's condition than most teenagers are with their parents "oddities". He was VERY accomdating. Most teenagers find it hard to put up with even far more conventional behaviour from their parents. I'm not talking about in front of witnesses...Harlan was embarrassed as the next teen with witnesses. At home Harlan didn't seem bothered by Jack's inability to function. Maybe Harlan was just more empathetic than any teen I know. Maybe he was empathetic because of his own growing problems with anxiety. (although I suspect that a growing anxiety problem himself would only make him LESS able/willing to do the business of day to day life for his father)

[omphalos02 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tremendously involving and very funy writing from first time author Cohen. Jack Madigan is the son of the now deceased Baz Madigan, an outrageous rock star of the late 70's, who fathering skills left much to be desired, leaving Jack an agorophobe. He is unable to leave the 4-story town house left to him by his father without being heavily sedated (on "Nervy-Durvies"), and turning Jack into poor candidate for Father of the Year to his own teenage son, Harlan. Filled with wonderful, quirky characters that are very believable, this book was a small wonder to read. I look forward to more from Cohen, and the film which is apparantly in development of "Town House."