A darkly humorous and wise novel about a disgraced American homemaking icon determined to win back her former Hudson Valley house—in a story that asks: what would you do to get the home, and the life, you loved back?
When former 1990s American homemaking icon, Punch Tillis, agrees to fill in as a cater-waiter for a fundraiser at Brieskill Farm, the historic Hudson Valley home she and her husband lovingly renovated (and disastrously lost), she expects to serve ninety plates of wilted greens and leave. Instead, after the event ends, she accidentally falls asleep in her old bedroom. The next morning, realizing no one has noticed her mistake, Punch decides she might as well stay another night. Or maybe two. What’s the harm?
Thirty years earlier Punch Tillis had built an empire as a do-it-yourself-and-do-it-right model for women everywhere: cookbooks, a television show, and eventually, her own line of custom paint. But when her drive and ambition brought the entire enterprise crashing down, Punch lost everything—her husband, her brand name, and worst of all, her beloved Brieskill Farm.
Then local college student, Lily, tells Punch that squatting can lead to tenancy rights and Punch enthusiastically begins her renewed tenure at Brieskill Farm, every acre of which reminds her of a life that, despite her hard work, still slipped through her fingers.
With Lily’s help—herself a budding social media savant and aspiring filmmaker—Punch’s residency quickly gains national attention. But when Brieskill’s current owners get wind of Punch’s adventure, they marshal the full support of the legal system to stop her. The ensuing drama makes for a story of redemption that is both just and deeply satisfying.
Ultimately, Home Economics is about intergenerational friendships, the power of community, and what, precisely, makes a house a home.
When former 1990s American homemaking icon, Punch Tillis, agrees to fill in as a cater-waiter for a fundraiser at Brieskill Farm, the historic Hudson Valley home she and her husband lovingly renovated (and disastrously lost), she expects to serve ninety plates of wilted greens and leave. Instead, after the event ends, she accidentally falls asleep in her old bedroom. The next morning, realizing no one has noticed her mistake, Punch decides she might as well stay another night. Or maybe two. What’s the harm?
Thirty years earlier Punch Tillis had built an empire as a do-it-yourself-and-do-it-right model for women everywhere: cookbooks, a television show, and eventually, her own line of custom paint. But when her drive and ambition brought the entire enterprise crashing down, Punch lost everything—her husband, her brand name, and worst of all, her beloved Brieskill Farm.
Then local college student, Lily, tells Punch that squatting can lead to tenancy rights and Punch enthusiastically begins her renewed tenure at Brieskill Farm, every acre of which reminds her of a life that, despite her hard work, still slipped through her fingers.
With Lily’s help—herself a budding social media savant and aspiring filmmaker—Punch’s residency quickly gains national attention. But when Brieskill’s current owners get wind of Punch’s adventure, they marshal the full support of the legal system to stop her. The ensuing drama makes for a story of redemption that is both just and deeply satisfying.
Ultimately, Home Economics is about intergenerational friendships, the power of community, and what, precisely, makes a house a home.
Author
Katy Hays
KATY HAYS is the New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters and Saltwater. She is an art history adjunct professor and holds an MA in art history from Williams College and pursued her PhD at UC Berkeley. Having previously worked at major art institutions, including the Clark Art Institute and SFMOMA, Hays now lives with her husband and their dog in Olympic Valley, California.
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