If These Walls Could Talk

In Bettye Griffin's If These Walls Could Talk, three very different families share the same dream: moving out of New York City and into a house-and a life-of their own . . . Reuben and Camille have always been afraid to send their children outside to play in their rough Bronx neighborhood. So when they see a television ad for homes in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, they jump at the chance. Spirits are high as the family's new life moves forward, but all is brought to a screeching halt when Reuben loses his job. No one in either Milo or Dawn's Brooklyn-based family has ever owned a house, and the Poconos seem perfect. Plus if they put a deposit down today, they can get a free deck and a fireplace. But after they move in, it starts to look like their house was slapped together like a ham sandwich and doesn't seem to be much stronger. Norman and Veronica are happy to leave Washington Heights for a place in the country . . . and so are their relatives. Each weekend brings a parade of empty-handed guests expecting to be fed but not expecting to pitch in and help. Now as three families embark on a journey filled with both triumphs and tribulations, they're about to discover that not all is perfect when your dreams come true . . .