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 other's 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. - IP Picks 2006 Judges' Report