She Treads Softly: The May House

Monday, April 20, 2026

The May House

The May House by Jillian Cantor
5/12/26; 368
Atria Books

The May House by Jillian Cantor is a recommended domestic drama/soap opera saga for the right reader. It follows three sisters over forty years for the one week they spend together.

Julia, Emily, and Nora May spend one week every May creating memories at their maternal Grandmother Vera's beach side home in Coronado, near San Diego. They also made a life-long friend with Nate, who lived next door and was pleased to see them every year. Their mother passed away when they were very young and the three grew up with their father in Chicago, so Grandma Vera was a link to their mother. After Grandma Vera's passing the three inherit her home on the condition that they continue to meet together one week in May every year. Even as they go their separate ways, they continue the tradition until one year when Julia didn't show up, arriving first, as she always did.

While the quality of the writing is good, the pace is rather slow and plodding. The narrative is written in a non-linear timeline, jumping between the present (mainly 2019) and various years in the past when they were in Coronado. In this case the presentation of the plot via the dual timeline was a drawback. It wasn't very effective to have "Oh no, Julia didn't show up" in 2019 going on for an abundance of chapters contrasted with events from many years earlier. It might have made more sense to tease with an opening about 2019 and then organize the novel chronologically as a family saga over the years leading up to Julia not arriving first and missing.

The sisters are all portrayed as unique individuals with strengths and weaknesses, but, honestly, none of the characters in this book were likable or relatable in any way. There are some strong story lines along the way, however, making a promise that you will meet every May for one week is nonsensical in real life. I guessed the big twist immediately. Additionally, Nate's continuously damp, tousled, curly hair and acorn colored eyes, along with everyone else have green or hazel eyes was mentioned way-too-often. I'm an outlier here as most reviewers enjoyed this novel much more. My rating is generous.

The May House is recommended for those who enjoy soapy family dramas. Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.