The House of Cavanaugh: A Novel

A long-buried secret. A friendship on the brink. A family forever changed.

New York City, 1964. Joan Cavanaugh—a young wife and mother yearning for more—falls into a passionate affair with Peter “Hutch” Hutchinson. When the affair ends, she returns to her marriage, raising three daughters with her devoted husband, Graham. For nearly three decades, she keeps her secret locked away, taking the truth of her daughter Anne’s paternity to her grave when she succumbs to cancer in 1989. 

Portland, 2014. Carolyn Cavanaugh and Julia Hutchinson are next-door neighbors and the closest of friends. But when Carolyn’s father, Graham, visits for Thanksgiving, his path collides with Julia’s parents, Hutch and Alice. The revelation that unfolds following Graham’s trip upends both families, bringing a truth to light that will shake two families to their core. 

As decades of deception unravel, bonds are tested, loyalties waver, and the meaning of family is redefined. The House of Cavanaugh is a poignant and gripping exploration of love, betrayal, and the unexpected ways secrets can bind us—or break us apart.

About Polly Dugan

Polly Dugan is the author of the linked story collection, So Much a Part of You, and the novel, The Sweetheart Deal. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in The Dickinson Review, Narrative, Line Zero, ModernLoss.com and Huffpost.com. She is a contributing author to Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book by Courtney Maum. She is a graduate of Dickinson College, a former employee of Powell’s Books and Guide Dogs for the Blind, a Tin House Summer Workshop alumna and a former submissions reader for Tin House magazine. She lives in Portland and Manzanita, Oregon with her family.