Home › Fiction › Housemates

Housemates

by Emma Copley Eisenberg

Art, intimacy, and belonging on the road

Regular price $16.48 USD
Regular price $27.47 USD Sale price $16.48 USD
Save 40%

Paperback New

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    Lambda Literary Award finalist

    Finalist; the metadata does not specify a category.

  • Editorial selection

    Selected by Time as an LGBTQ+ book to read for Pride

    Included in Time’s “15 LGBTQ+ Books to Read for Pride” selection.

  • Critical praise

    Praised by People

    People praise the book as an “exceptional, keenly observed meditation on art and love.”

AlbakiReads Editorial

Art, intimacy, and belonging on the road

Bernie, a film photographer, and Leah, a writer, meet as housemates in West Philadelphia. Their shared home becomes the starting point for a road trip tied to a complicated inheritance, opening onto questions about art, love, and how to live in an uncertain America. The story also reaches across two generations of queer artists, connecting the pair’s developing relationship with broader reflections on creativity, body liberation, and chosen family. The road journey gives these concerns a shared frame: personal discovery unfolds alongside a search for a place in a fractured country.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in fiction about queer relationships and chosen family.
  • Readers drawn to stories that connect art-making with questions of identity and belonging.
  • Readers interested in road-trip narratives set against contemporary American life.

Themes

Queer relationshipsCreativity and artChosen familyBody liberationIdentity and belonging

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST - Two young housemates embark on a road trip to discover themselves in this "exceptional, keenly observed meditation on art and love" (People) in a fractured America, by the award-winning author of The Third Rainbow Girl

"Tender, nuanced, and hilarious."--Oprah Daily
15 LGBTQ+ Books to Read for Pride--Time

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: People, The Boston Globe, NBC, Them, Autostraddle, Electric Lit, Kirkus Reviews

This Random House Book Club edition includes a Q&A with Torrey Peters and a discussion guide.

Four housemates, looking for a fifth, the ad read. Queer preferred (we all are).

This is how Bernie, a film photographer, meets Leah, a writer, and from opposite sides of a thin bedroom wall in West Philadelphia, the two become closer than they ever could have imagined. When Leah volunteers to accompany Bernie on a road trip to settle a complicated inheritance, what ensues is an unexpected journey into the heart of America as the duo try to make sense of the times they are living in--falling in love with each other and rediscovering the power of making art along the way.

With humor, warmth, and beautifully observed characters, and told through two generations of queer artists reflecting on the question of how a person should be, Housemates is a glorious celebration of creativity, body liberation, chosen family--and of finding your place in an uncertain world.
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews