In the House of Aphrodite

About the Book

Aphrodite weaves together the stories of women from different generations as they struggle to cope with infidelity, aging, cosmetic surgery, divorce, domestic violence and forgiveness.  At the heart of these intertwined narratives are issues women have faced for generations.

Lori Baxter, a thirty-something homemaker, watches the neighborhood in fluffy slippers buried behind a Newsweek magazine on her front porch.  Obsessed with Ronald Regan, Lori made sure every tree in the neighborhood had a yellow ribbon tied around it to support the hostage’s homecoming from Iran.  When newcomers arrived into the neighborhood, it was Lori who showed up on their doorstep with a basket of fresh fruit and her famous buttery bread twists.   When Lori discovers her husband is having an affair with her friend, Tina Collins, she makes some unexpected decisions about her life.  Down the street, Tina Collins knows men are not the only people to have a mid-life crisis.  Coping with aging, Tina will do anything to look and feel youthful, from exercising to having an affair, and even having silicone implants.  More than one of Tina’s decisions will have severe consequences that will affect her entire family.  Left to pick up the slack and sort out the odds and ends are the children.  Cory Collins is a five-year-old whose life is sweetened by the aroma of lilac and cherry blossoms.  She snoops on everyone in the neighborhood while munching on boxes of Sunmaid raisons, and comes to learn that life is not fair.  Dealing with her own guilt, she finds that she must find forgiveness and do what she can to come to terms with her mother’s past.  Cory’s sisters, Carrie and Kylie each undergo their own coming of age as well. Carrie, the eldest of the Collins’ girls, is involved in an alcohol-related automobile accident that changes who she is to the core.  Her sister Kylie, often the troublemaker, wrangles what she wants for her future, verses what her family feels is best for her.  Ultimately, these characters find connections to one another as they discover countless lessons of life and womanhood.

About the Author

A.C. Schrader’s In the House of Aphrodite is her fist published book. Mrs. Schrader grew up in Illinois and earned an undergraduate degree in journalism before becoming a full-time writer. She is working on her second novel, “The Prego,” which is about the trials a young professional woman faces through pregnancy, marriage and friendship.