Mazo de la Roche 
A Boy in the House 

From the author of the bestselling Jalna series! Writing in isolation was never trickier than in this full house.



In this short but poignant tale, Mazo de la Roche tells the story of a small boy from an orphan home who has come to work for two sisters — Mrs Morton and Lydia Dove — who are, in old age, suffering greatly reduced circumstances. They have rented out half of their house to a writer, Lindley, who has sought out this isolated spot for the writing of a novel.



However, the seclusion promised him is broken by strange and frightening events. The sisters’ struggle over the boy, Lindley’s love for the boy, his efforts to keep himself aloof for the writing of his book, are related by Mazo de la Roche with that complete belief in her characters which makes them live for the reader.

About the author

Mazo de la Roche was an impoverished writer in Toronto when in 1927 she won a $10, 000 prize from the American magazine Atlantic Monthly for her novel Jalna. The book became an immediate bestseller. She went on to publish sixteen novels in the popular series.