Old stories sprang from objects, though seldom in a form of words, more like song; from flowers, trees, curtains, fruit or outhouse walls, so why not his brother's toys? Crazy, of course: but crazy was how Finbar had entered the world, getting it all backwards, dying before he was born. In his mothers womb, he choked on black; swimming in red, floating free. With a sparkling lyricism, House of Given reflects on the gentle insistence of love. Despite the strains and impositions people place upon it, especially within the close confines of family despite secrets, guilt, sorrow and silence, Collopy's novel illustrates a belief that love's essential nature beckons revelation. And sometimes revelations emerge through the very notion that Families have a way of scratching each others' sores. Lineage and living collide, offering sacrifice, reconciliation, and truth as an answer to the question of identity within family. The characters of House of Given reveal a story of family as we all know it to one extent or another, and of life, the fragile kind in which we all, sooner or later, find ourselves.