Radio Book Club: Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock’s “The Smell of Other People’s Houses”

In this month’s Radio Book Club, we spoke with Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock about her debut Young Adult (YA) novel The Smell of Other People’s Houses.

About the book: In Alaska, 1970, being a teenager here isn t like being a teenager anywhere else. This deeply moving and authentic debut is for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, and Benjamin Alire Saenz. Intertwining stories of love, tragedy, wild luck, and salvation on the edge of America’s Last Frontier introduce a writer of rare talent.

Ruth has a secret that she can t hide forever. Dora wonders if she can ever truly escape where she comes from, even when good luck strikes. Alyce is trying to reconcile her desire to dance, with the life she’s always known on her family’s fishing boat. Hank and his brothers decide it’s safer to run away than to stay home until one of them ends up in terrible danger.

Four very different lives are about to become entangled. This unforgettable book is about people who try to save each other and how sometimes, when they least expect it, they succeed.

About Radio Bookclub:

KGNU is partnering with the Boulder Bookstore for our radio book club. Every month Arsen Kashkashian, head buyer at the Boulder Bookstore, will select a book to inspire the KGNU listening audience to read along together. We will then be joined live in studio by the author for a call in show and book discussion. Arsen Kashkashian says participating in a bookclub is a great dynamic way for readers to enjoy a book.

See previous Bookclub selections here.