Breaking and Entering

Breaking and Entering follows Liberty and Willie, a young married couple who break into empty vacation homes in Florida. They create temporary lives in these spaces, living as squatters while dealing with their complex relationship and personal struggles. The narrative takes place across the sun-bleached landscape of Florida in the 1980s, moving through various homes and locations as Liberty and Willie continue their unusual lifestyle. Their story intersects with a cast of characters they encounter during their transient existence. The novel focuses on themes of displacement, identity, and the concept of home in American life. Through Liberty and Willie's unconventional choices, Williams explores the boundaries between ownership and belonging, permanence and impermanence, and the nature of human connection. The work exists in a space between minimalism and psychological complexity, examining how people create meaning in lives without fixed points. It stands as a notable entry in the American literary movement of the 1980s, sharing DNA with other works that captured the era's particular brand of alienation.

Readers describe this novel as dreamlike and atmospheric, but difficult to follow. Many note the prose style captures a hazy Florida setting and lost characters drifting through life. Readers appreciated: - The poetic, surreal writing quality - Vivid descriptions of Florida's landscape - Complex portrayal of broken relationships - Dark humor throughout Common criticisms: - Confusing, meandering plot - Unclear character motivations - Lack of satisfying resolution - Too many disconnected scenes Review Data: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (300+ ratings) "Beautiful writing but I felt lost most of the time" - Goodreads reviewer "Like trying to piece together someone else's dream" - Amazon reviewer LibraryThing: 3.5/5 (50+ ratings) "Gorgeous prose doesn't make up for the plotless wandering" - LibraryThing user Several readers noted abandoning the book partway through due to difficulty following the narrative, while others praised its experimental style.

The Last Days of California by Mary Miller A teenage girl and her family drive across America to await the rapture, inhabiting temporary spaces and exploring faith through transient existence.

Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson A collection follows a drifting narrator through the American landscape as he moves between temporary shelters and fleeting connections.

Continental Drift by Russell Banks A man leaves his New England life for Florida, intersecting with displaced characters in a sun-bleached landscape of failed dreams.

Already Dead by Denis Cooper Set in California, characters move through borrowed spaces and temporary arrangements while grappling with identity and belonging.

The Motel Life by Willy Vlautin Two brothers drift between motels in Nevada, creating provisional homes while running from past actions.

🏠 Joy Williams wrote this novel in 1988, during a period when Florida was experiencing a massive real estate boom that left many vacation homes empty for much of the year. 🌴 The Florida Keys setting reflects Williams' deep connection to the region, where she has lived part-time since the 1970s and which features prominently in much of her work. 📖 The book's unusual structure - with its fragmented narrative and dreamlike sequences - was highly influential on later works of literary fiction about drifters and outsiders. 🏆 Before writing "Breaking and Entering," Williams won the Harold and Mildred Strauss Living Award, which provided her with five years of financial support to focus solely on writing. 🎭 The character of Liberty was partially inspired by Williams' observations of young seasonal workers who would come to the Keys seeking escape and reinvention in the 1980s.