Anne’s wealthy mother and stepfather seem a too-obvious plot device, and they are, while her issues with the very real problem of postpartum depression are merely glossed over or trotted out during faux-fiery monologues. It’s difficult to drum up sympathy for this missing child, swaddled as she is in such a dull and harmless plot.
In “A Stranger in the House,” Lapena’s characters are indeed strangers, forgettable as soon as the reader has finished. But the strong plot of “A Stranger in the House” is quite memorable.