Helen Of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman

 

This novel is laid out in six acts.  The action begins when a man goes to visit a house on the market.  He is a professor and has been released from the university at which he taught and from his marriage so will need a place to live.  Hinted at but never defined, it seems that the man was dismissed for questionable acts with female students and from his marriage for the same reasons along with the wives' thoughts that he was not a man she wanted to stay married to.  The acts are named for the various characters so there is one for the man, his wife, the realtor and Helen although she is only briefly mentioned and defined. 

Makenna Goodman is an American author who has also worked as an editor for a literary magazine and for a major publishing house.  In this book, she explores such themes as male misogyny, retribution for former misdeeds and the way to move forward after a devasting event in one's life.  Although Helen is the title character, she remains a mystery with very little input, although she is represented as woman with immaculate taste and the house as a showpiece of her input.  The man who has lost his job and marriage still seems to be totally clueless as to what he has done wrong in his life and there is little real expectation that he will be changing as a result of what has occurred.  There is also a dog that plays a pivotal role in the novel although he doesn't show up until late in the action.  This book was nominated for the Booker Prize and is on the longlist for 2026.  It is recommended for literary fiction readers.