House Rules

The first rule is clear: the game may pause, but it may never end.

So Loes returns to her mother's table, where the family gathers around the board exactly as Gree left it. The scorebook is open, and nobody agrees whose move comes next.

What begins as obedience becomes loopholes, alliances, stale grievances, and fiercely polite rule disputes.

Then Loes finds an old notebook that explains why Gree made her Keeper, and the unread final page becomes impossible to avoid.

To finish the game, they must decide which rules protected their love, and whether ending a tradition can still keep faith with it.

A warm family novel about grief, gamesmanship, and the rules we inherit without choosing.