The Smell Of Other People’s Houses Summary, Characters and Themes
The Smell of Other People’s Houses, published in 2016 is a heartfelt debut novel by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock that weaves together the lives of four teenagers in 1970s Alaska. Each of the protagonists—Ruth, Alyce, Dora, and Hank—struggles with personal loss, identity, and the yearning for belonging.
Set against the backdrop of Alaska’s changing landscape after statehood, the novel explores themes of family, survival, and the strength of community. Through their intertwining journeys, these young characters discover hope and healing in the most unexpected places, all while confronting the harsh realities of life in their small, rugged world.
Summary
Ruth, one of the novel’s four main characters, finds herself reflecting on her life before and after Alaska gained statehood.
In her younger years, she lived with her parents in a simple, content existence, sustained by hunting and close family ties. Her father, who was deeply opposed to statehood, died tragically in a plane crash on his way back from a political meeting, leaving the family shattered.
Her mother, overwhelmed by grief and suffering from a mental breakdown, eventually left home after giving birth to Ruth’s sister, Lily.
Ruth and Lily were then raised by their stern, religious grandmother, who adhered strictly to Catholic beliefs. Ruth’s life, colored by the loss of her parents, feels constrained, with her only solace coming from her friendship with Selma, a girl who was adopted by her aunt and happens to be Alyce’s cousin.
Lily, on the other hand, finds companionship in Bunny, who is part of an Athabascan family.
At the age of 16, Ruth’s feelings of rebellion and the weight of her strict upbringing lead her to start dating Ray, a boy from a wealthy, conservative family. It’s a relationship born out of defiance rather than love, and it soon results in Ruth becoming pregnant.
Ray, however, abandons her, moving on to another girl and leaving Ruth alone to face the consequences of her choices.
Meanwhile, Dora, an Inupiat girl also aged 16, lives with her best friend Dumpling’s family, having escaped her own home after her father’s imprisonment.
Her life has been marked by the trauma of domestic and sexual abuse at the hands of her father, and she has found a semblance of peace and safety living with Dumpling’s family.
Despite their different cultural backgrounds, Dora feels like a true sister to Dumpling, and she is determined never to return to her own family.
However, when Dora wins a cash prize in the Ice Classic, her father, newly released from prison, seeks her out, threatening her for the money.
Alyce, another teenager, spends her summers on her father’s fishing boat, a lifestyle she enjoys despite her own internal conflicts.
She dreams of becoming a ballerina and has earned an audition for a prestigious dance school in Fairbanks. However, Alyce feels torn between her aspirations and her father’s expectations.
She’s wracked with guilt over the divorce of her parents and worries that pursuing her dreams will only add to their disappointment in her.
Hank’s life has also been deeply affected by Alaska’s statehood. After his father drowned in a tsunami triggered by the Good Friday earthquake, his mother struggled to cope, seeking solace in a series of abusive relationships.
Hank, unable to bear the burden of his home life, decides to run away with his two younger brothers, Jack and Sam.
Together, they stow away on a ferry, hoping for a better future. However, their plan takes a dark turn when Sam falls overboard while searching for their father among the orcas, and Hank is left devastated, believing his brother to be lost.
Ruth’s pregnancy is soon discovered by her grandmother, who arranges for her to be sent to a convent in Canada, where she will live until the baby is born. Just before she is supposed to leave, Dumpling unexpectedly arrives to comfort Ruth.
She tells Ruth that in her community, babies are considered gifts, and hands her a red ribbon, which symbolizes survival and love, passed down from her own mother, who had survived a flood.
Dora, upon learning of this encounter, feels pangs of jealousy. Her father’s release from prison only adds to her stress, as he begins making threats toward her for the Ice Classic money.
Dumpling’s father steps in to protect Dora, and she accompanies the family on a trip to their fish camp, where she experiences a deeper sense of belonging. It’s a rare moment of peace amidst the chaos of her life.
In the meantime, Alyce witnesses Sam falling from the ferry and heroically rescues him, bringing him aboard her father’s boat. Sam spends several days recovering, and the two form a connection.
Alyce teaches Sam how to work on the boat, and they grow close. As Sam slowly opens up about his family, Alyce’s father reveals that he once knew Sam’s father and promises to help reunite Sam with his brothers.
Hank, still searching for Sam and feeling increasingly hopeless, turns to the ferry’s watchman, Phil, for help. In a twist of fate, Phil tells the story of how he once saved an abandoned baby—Selma, Ruth’s friend.
Phil arranges for Hank and his brother Jack to be placed with a foster family in Fairbanks.
At the convent, Ruth is consumed by feelings of isolation. She’s cut off from news of her family and friends, and the future feels uncertain.
One day, she learns that her grandmother was also abandoned as a child and raised in the same convent.
Ruth’s mother, now living in a separate convent, also reappears in Ruth’s life, though their relationship remains strained. In a moment of reflection, Ruth realizes that she deserves more than the life she’s been handed.
While in town, she encounters Hank and is moved by his bond with his brother. Hank, in turn, notices the red ribbon Ruth drops and keeps it.
Back at home, Dora is racked with guilt over Dumpling’s accident. A trip to deliver a pie to Ruth’s grandmother leads to a heartfelt conversation, where Dora learns that everyone carries their own burdens and that love can be found in unexpected places.
Soon after, Dumpling wakes from her coma, and Dora finally stands up to her abusive father, having him arrested.
Alyce, encouraged by Sam, eventually speaks to her father about her dream of becoming a ballerina.
To her surprise, her father not only supports her, but arranges for Sam to be reunited with his brothers in Fairbanks on the same day as Alyce’s audition. The audition goes well, and Alyce feels both confident and free.
At Christmas, Ruth returns home and is greeted by Hank, who ties the red ribbon to her wrist. Finally feeling a sense of hope and belonging, Ruth reconciles with her grandmother, and they share a tearful reunion.
Ruth has named her daughter after her grandmother, symbolizing the cyclical nature of love and family, and the promise of a new beginning.
Characters
Ruth
Ruth’s journey is marked by loss, isolation, and the search for belonging. Her father’s death and mother’s abandonment create a void in her life, leaving her to be raised by her strict, emotionally distant grandmother.
Ruth’s memories of her early childhood reflect a simpler, more connected time, before the disruptions caused by Alaska’s statehood and her father’s political involvement. These memories stand in stark contrast to the emotional coldness of her later life under her grandmother’s roof.
Ruth’s rebellion, seen in her relationship with Ray and her subsequent pregnancy, is a cry for agency in a life where she feels constrained by others’ expectations. She struggles with guilt and loneliness but finds comfort in small acts of connection, such as her friendship with Selma and the symbolic red ribbon from Dumpling.
Ruth’s decision to give up her child in the hope of providing it with a better life reflects her deep desire to break the cycle of abandonment that defined her own upbringing. Her reunion with her grandmother, where both express vulnerability and forgiveness, marks Ruth’s emotional maturation and reconnection to her roots.
Her hope for the future is symbolized by her decision to name her daughter after her grandmother, representing a bridging of the past and present.
Alyce
Alyce embodies the tension between personal ambition and familial loyalty. Raised by divorced parents, Alyce has inherited her father’s love for the sea but also harbors dreams of becoming a ballerina.
Her guilt about potentially disappointing her father adds emotional weight to her choices, highlighting the sacrifices she feels compelled to make for the sake of family harmony. Alyce’s internal conflict is mirrored in her physical environment: the vastness of the ocean represents freedom, yet it also traps her in the expectations of others.
Her connection with Sam, who becomes both a friend and love interest, provides Alyce with the emotional support she needs to confront her own desires. Through her relationship with Sam and the shared experience of saving his life, Alyce finds the courage to be honest with her father about her dreams.
Her father’s support at her dance audition signifies a pivotal moment in their relationship, as he acknowledges her individuality and the legitimacy of her goals. Alyce’s success at the audition, coupled with Sam’s praise, gives her the confidence to pursue her aspirations without guilt.
Dora
Dora’s story is one of resilience and reclaiming agency after suffering abuse. Her traumatic experiences at the hands of her father have left her scarred and distrustful, but she finds solace and safety in the warmth of Dumpling’s family.
Dora’s journey is shaped by her struggle to overcome her past and her sense of being an outsider due to her Inupiat heritage. The contrast between her biological family and Dumpling’s family underscores the cultural differences she navigates, but it also highlights her deep yearning for love and acceptance.
Her jealousy of Ruth stems from her fear of losing this newfound family, particularly her close bond with Dumpling. Dora’s eventual confrontation with her abusive father is a significant turning point in her character arc.
It marks her transition from a passive victim of abuse to someone who actively fights for her own safety and the safety of her loved ones. Dora’s decision to pay for her mother’s hospitalization signals a complex, conflicted love for her family of origin, despite their failings.
Her relationship with Ruth evolves from one of bitterness to understanding, as both girls navigate their respective traumas. By the end of the novel, Dora emerges as a character who has reclaimed control over her life, finding her voice and place in a community that values her.
Hank
Hank’s story explores themes of responsibility, brotherhood, and survival in the face of familial breakdown. After the loss of his father and the emotional collapse of his mother, Hank becomes the de facto leader of his younger brothers.
His decision to flee with his brothers reflects both desperation and a fierce sense of responsibility, as he tries to protect them from the instability of their home life. Hank’s journey is one of physical survival—stowing away on a ferry, scrounging for food—but also of emotional survival, as he copes with the overwhelming pressure of caring for his family in the absence of adult guidance.
His guilt over Sam’s disappearance underscores his deep sense of duty, and his eventual reunion with Sam is a moment of catharsis and relief. Hank’s connection with Ruth, sparked by the red ribbon, introduces a subtle romantic element to his narrative, but more importantly, it serves as a symbol of hope and healing.
His interaction with Ruth at the abbey, where they find solace in each other’s company, marks a moment of vulnerability for both characters. By the end of the novel, Hank’s sense of family has expanded beyond his brothers to include the people who have helped him along the way, showing his growth from a protector of his immediate family to someone who embraces a wider community of care and support.
Dumpling
Though not a protagonist, Dumpling serves as a central figure of compassion and connection in the lives of the other characters. As a member of the Athabascan community, Dumpling embodies the values of family, generosity, and resilience.
Her close relationship with Dora offers a contrast to the fractured families of Ruth, Alyce, and Hank, providing a model of familial love that transcends bloodlines. Dumpling’s gift of the red ribbon to Ruth is one of the novel’s key moments, symbolizing survival, love, and the interconnectedness of the characters’ lives.
Her accident and subsequent coma bring the community together in a shared moment of grief and concern, showing how deeply she has impacted those around her. Dumpling’s recovery and continued support for her friends affirm her role as a stabilizing, nurturing presence in the story, someone who represents the possibility of healing and hope in a world marked by loss.
Themes
The Complex Interplay of Cultural Identity, Statehood, and Personal Belonging
In The Smell of Other People’s Houses, the intersection between cultural identity, the impact of Alaska’s statehood, and personal belonging serves as one of the most nuanced and challenging themes. Each character grapples with the tension between their individual identity and the broader social and political forces surrounding Alaska’s transition from territory to statehood in 1959.
For characters like Ruth and Hank, statehood represents a rupture in their personal histories. Ruth’s father dies in a plane crash during a political meeting, and Hank’s father drowns in the aftermath of a tsunami. These losses are symbolic of the broader dislocation many Alaskans feel in the wake of statehood, an event that altered traditional ways of life, especially for Indigenous communities.
Ruth, Alyce, Dora, and Hank navigate the balance between personal identities and larger forces such as family heritage and political realities. Inupiat, Athabascan, and non-Indigenous characters in the novel highlight Alaska’s multi-ethnic composition, shaping each character’s understanding of home and community. Dora’s journey, in particular, explores how maintaining cultural identity amidst personal trauma is complex, as she finds refuge in a family different from her own culture.
The Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma and Resilience
Another profound theme in the novel is the transmission of trauma across generations, as well as the resilience that follows. The characters’ experiences of grief and abandonment reveal how the suffering of their parents and grandparents shapes their worldview and personal struggles.
Ruth’s grandmother embodies the rigid control that stems from her own abandonment. Her strict Catholic upbringing is an attempt to shield Ruth from similar fates, yet it perpetuates emotional isolation. Ruth is burdened by her mother’s mental illness and absence, adding another layer of inherited trauma.
The novel draws sharp connections between these generational struggles, particularly through the symbolic red ribbon. The ribbon not only represents familial connection but also the lingering weight of historical suffering. Yet, the act of passing the ribbon also suggests that resilience is inherited alongside trauma, as the ribbon ultimately becomes a token of love and hope, symbolizing a chance at breaking the cycle.
The Dichotomy of Isolation and Connection in Rural Alaskan Life
The geographical isolation of Alaska serves as both a literal and figurative backdrop for the novel’s exploration of human relationships. The vast wilderness and distances between communities intensify the characters’ feelings of isolation, both from each other and from their own emotional needs.
Ruth’s life in her grandmother’s house is marked by this stifling sense of isolation. Her physical remoteness mirrors her emotional distance from her grandmother, who is too entrenched in her own rigid views to offer the emotional support Ruth craves.
Yet, within this isolation, the novel explores the counterpoint theme of unexpected human connection. The ferry, fishing boat, and fish camps become spaces where characters like Hank, Alyce, and Dora form deep bonds with strangers or unlikely companions. Hank’s reunion with his brother Sam after Alyce rescues him highlights how the interconnectedness of people in remote communities becomes essential for survival and emotional sustenance.
The Tension Between Personal Freedom and Familial Responsibility
Throughout the novel, the characters are continually caught between the need for personal freedom and their sense of responsibility toward family. Ruth’s pregnancy is a central metaphor for this tension, as her desire to break free from her grandmother’s control clashes with her familial obligations.
Ruth’s rebellion—dating Ray as a form of defiance—leads to her pregnancy, which immediately limits her choices. Her relocation to a convent underscores the social pressure to conform and the limitations placed on her personal agency due to familial duty.
Alyce’s internal conflict over her passion for ballet versus her father’s expectations highlights a similar tension. She feels guilt about wanting to pursue her dreams of dance in Fairbanks, conflicting with her sense of duty to her father. Similarly, Hank’s decision to stow away with his brothers exemplifies the burdens placed on him as the eldest sibling, balancing freedom from home with protective instincts toward his family.
The Subversion of Traditional Gender Roles in the Face of Adversity
In a subtle but persistent way, the novel engages with the theme of gender roles, particularly in the context of survival and resilience in a harsh environment. Ruth, Alyce, Dora, and Hank confront traditional gender expectations, often subverting them to carve out their own paths.
Ruth’s pregnancy, a typically “feminine” experience, becomes a source of both vulnerability and strength. Though she faces societal pressure to conform, she ultimately chooses a future for her child that defies convention, entrusting her baby to a loving couple rather than raising her within her grandmother’s strict home.
Alyce navigates a different kind of gender expectation, torn between the masculine role of a fisherman and the femininity of ballet. Rather than choosing one over the other, Alyce asserts control over both aspects of her identity, subverting traditional gender binaries to create her own sense of self.