The Smell of Other People's Houses

I just finished reading this interesting book which is included on this year's SCYABA (South Carolina Young Adult Book Award) list. This novel tells the stories of a number of unique kids living in Alaska whose lives are undeniably intertwined beneath the surface and whose bonds strengthen as the story's plot unfolds. Some of the characters struggle to continue with life after family members are lost, one struggles with a pregnancy while still in high school, and some struggle with drunk parents that can't take care of them. Taking place in Alaska in the 1960's recently after Alaska became an official state in the United States, the setting of the novel is deeply tied to its characters who also deal with issues of identity and community. When one of the characters gets pregnant, another wins a local contest with a hefty prize, and another leaves home to live with a family where she will be safer, they each embark on their own journeys through which they will learn about themselves and the people around them (Hitchcock).

Personally, I really enjoyed the realities of the work, the characters, and the way the different characters' narratives connect in the resolution. The motif of smells that Hitchcock develops throughout the novel is one my favorite aspects of the work. From the beginning of the novel the author develops a motif involving smells, social class, and personal memories. This recurring pattern of smells symbolizing a person's social class while also being heavily tied to personal memories is something that I believe we can all relate to, because at the least, I feel that most people associate their family members or a significant other with a particular smell. In the opening chapters, one of the main characters, Ruth, connects most of her experiences and describes most of her friends in relation to a particular smell. While reflecting on the death of her parents and comparing herself to her new, wealthy boyfriend she explains that "the very distant scent of my parents lingers in my brain, as they laugh and twirl around the kitchen... The smell of too much love. I don't say any of this to Ray, who still has two parents and a house that smells like store-bought everything" (Hitchcock, 23). For this particular character, smells appear to be a way that she understands the world. Since she has no physical objects that remind her of her lost parents, she falls back to her only way of remembering them: smells. The smells that remind her of her parents are earthy and wholesome, and they remind her of a love that seems far removed from her current circumstances. The way this motif develops throughout the novel shows the growth of this particular character. Early in the text Ruth is embarrassed by the smells of her grandmother's house and yearns for the clean antiseptic smells of her boyfriend's home. By the end of the novel, long after she has been dumped by her superficial boyfriend, Ruth has learned to appreciate the smells of her family, which shows an acceptance and contentment with her family, her friends, her people, and her own way of life.