The Dutch House – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

The Dutch House

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

book2019

88%

WISE Score

4.4

Amazon

A lush, slow-burn story about a house that haunts a family and the siblings who can't stop looking in the rearview mirror.

The Dutch House

book

2019

88%

WISE Score

4.4

Amazon

A lush, slow-burn story about a house that haunts a family and the siblings who can't stop looking in the rearview mirror.

4.4

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Screenwise Verdict

The Dutch House is the opposite of brain rot. It’s a quiet, sophisticated meal of a book that rewards patience. It’s not a thriller, and it’s not going to keep a teenager on the edge of their seat with plot twists.

However, for a high schooler who appreciates good writing or for an adult looking for something that actually makes them think about their own family history, it’s top-tier. It’s safe, it’s smart, and if you listen to the Tom Hanks version, it’s essentially a 98/100 experience. Just don't expect 'action'—the most exciting thing that happens is a character getting a fever or someone buying a building.

Age Fit

Best for 14 and up. While a precocious 12-year-old could read it, the themes of real estate, medical school, and the long-term resentment of middle age will probably bore them to tears.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

The core of the book is an unbreakable, protective bond between two siblings. While the parents are varying degrees of absent or icy, the loyalty Danny and Maeve show each other is the definition of emotionally healthy.

Imaginative

It's grounded realism, but the house itself is described with such architectural obsession that it feels like a character from a dark fairy tale. Patchett makes a 1920s mansion feel more alive than most fantasy worlds.

Safe

It’s a literary novel for adults, so expect some swearing and adult situations like smoking, drinking, and illness, but there is no graphic violence or gratuitous sex. It’s emotionally heavy, not physically shocking.

Enriching

This is a masterclass in perspective and forgiveness. It challenges the reader to think about how we cling to past grievances and whether our memories of 'home' are actually accurate or just stories we tell ourselves.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

The relationship between Danny and Maeve is one of the most realistic, non-cheesy depictions of sibling love in modern fiction.
If you do the audiobook, Tom Hanks narrates it. It’s basically like having America’s dad tell you a 10-hour bedtime story.
The prose is surgically precise—Patchett doesn't waste words, even when she's describing a staircase for three pages.
It explores the 'evil stepmother' trope but does it with actual psychological depth instead of cardboard cutouts.

⚠

What to Watch For

The mother’s abandonment of her children is the central trauma and might be a tough sell for kids who are sensitive to that theme.
It’s a 'vibes' book. Not much happens in terms of action; it’s mostly people sitting in a car smoking and looking at a house they used to own.
A few instances of strong language, though they feel earned within the dialogue.

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think Danny and Maeve keep driving back to look at the house? Is it nostalgia or a sickness?"
"Can you ever really forgive a parent who leaves 'for the greater good'?"
"How does the house change for them as they get older, even though the building itself stays the same?"
"Is Andrea actually a villain, or is she just a person who wanted a nice life and got stuck with two kids who hated her?"

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