How to Leave the House
{{Short description|2024 novel by Nathan Newman}}
{{Infobox book|
| name = How to Leave the House
| followed_by =
| title_orig =
| translator =
| image = HowtoLeavetheHouse cover.jpeg
| caption = US 1st edition cover
| author = Nathan Newman
| cover_artist =
| country = United Kingdom
United States
| language = English
| series =
| subject =
| genre = Literary fiction, Comic novel
| publisher = Abacus (UK)
Viking Penguin (US)
| release_date =
| english_release_date =
| media_type = Print (hardcover, paperback), ebook
| pages = 320 pp
| awards =
| isbn = 978-0349145631
| isbn_note =
(UK 1st ed)
| preceded_by =
| pub_date = 2024
}}
How to Leave the House is the 2024 debut novel by British author Nathan Newman. It follows a young man who crosses paths with the residents of a Midlands town while searching for a missing package. The novel was published by Little, Brown in the UK,{{Cite book |url=https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/nathan-newman/how-to-leave-the-house/9780349145624/ |title=How to Leave the House |date=2023-11-02 |isbn=978-0-349-14562-4 |language=en-US}} and Viking Penguin in the US{{Cite web |title=How to Leave the House by Nathan Newman: 9780593654903 {{!}} PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/726929/how-to-leave-the-house-by-nathan-newman/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=PenguinRandomhouse.com |language=en-US}} and received critical acclaim.{{Cite web |title=All Book Marks reviews for How to Leave the House by Nathan Newman |url=https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/all/how-to-leave-the-house/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Book Marks |language=en-US}}
Background
The book was completed whilst Newman attended New York University remotely, under the mentorship of Zadie Smith.{{Cite web |last=Acree |first=Cat |date=2024-08-05 |title=Interview with Nathan Newman, author of How to Leave the House |url=https://www.bookpage.com/interviews/nathan-newman-interview-how-to-leave-the-house/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=BookPage {{!}} Discover your next great book! |language=en-US}} Before the novel was published, the television rights were acquired by Fremantle, after a competitive auction.{{Cite web |last=Goldbart |first=Max |date=2022-12-16 |title=‘How To Leave The House’: Passenger & Sinestra To Adapt Nathan Newman’s Novel For TV |url=https://deadline.com/2022/12/fremantle-passenger-sinestra-nathan-newman-how-to-leave-your-house-this-england-chernobyl-1235200893/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}
Plot summary
How to Leave the House centres on 23-year old Natwest, as he embarks on a quest around a Midlands town to find a missing package on the eve of his departure for university. The novel alternates between Natwest's point of view and the perspectives of the various residents of the town he meets, including a local dentist obsessed with painting mouths, an Imam involved in a complex relationship with a Vicar, a teacher recovering from cancer, and a red-pilled teenage girl.{{Cite news |last=Finger |first=Bobby |date=2024-08-13 |title=Bumping Into Eccentrics on Every Small-Town Corner |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/13/books/review/how-to-leave-the-house-nathan-newman.html |access-date=2025-04-01 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}
Reception
The novel received critical acclaim.{{Cite web |title=All Book Marks reviews for How to Leave the House by Nathan Newman |url=https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/all/how-to-leave-the-house/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Book Marks |language=en-US}} Writing for The New York Times, critic Bobby Finger writes that "Newman weaves the analytical and the absurd with a raucous grace" praising the "audacious two-part conclusion, which I instantly flipped back and reread upon finishing."{{Cite news |last=Finger |first=Bobby |date=2024-08-13 |title=Bumping Into Eccentrics on Every Small-Town Corner |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/13/books/review/how-to-leave-the-house-nathan-newman.html |access-date=2025-04-01 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} The Washington Post similarly applauded the novel, observing that "this entertaining debut feels fresh and young, portraying modern life with a mixture of humor and reflection."{{Cite news |date=2024-07-21 |title=10 noteworthy books for July and August |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2024/07/21/new-books-for-summer/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240722054058/https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2024/07/21/new-books-for-summer/ |archive-date=2024-07-22 |access-date=2025-04-01 |work=Washington Post |language=en}} Reviewing for The Associated Press Rob Merrill noted that "Newman certainly has something to say about the up-and-coming generation" calling them "a bold new voice, and one to watch."{{Cite web |date=2024-08-12 |title=Book Review: 'How to Leave the House' by Nathan Newman marks the debut of a bold new fiction voice |url=https://apnews.com/article/leave-house-nathan-newman-book-review-23d4b737002ec6bdb3906ec688bcc7a6 |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=AP News |language=en}}