A Stranger in the House

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of domestic abuse, death by suicide, graphic descriptions of death and injury, and mental illness.

The façade of suburban perfection is a common theme in many domestic thrillers, including A Stranger in the House. This theme examines the differences between the safe, serene appearance of the suburban idyll and the secret, dangerous, chaotic lives of those who live there. This theme is developed in three key ways throughout the novel: In the opening, in the character of Karen Krupp herself, and in the contrast between her suburban town and the “bad side of town” where the murder took place.

The opening passages of Chapter 1 emphasize the suburban idyll of Henry Park. It is a “quiet, prosperous suburb in upstate New York,” where it seems “as if the American dream has continued to live on […] smooth and unruffled” (3). The Krupp residence itself is described as a “handsome two-story home […] set behind a generous lawn and framed with beautiful old trees” on a cul-de-sac (3). This description emphasizes the seeming perfection of the setting. This perfect image soon begins to unravel when it is revealed that Karen Krupp is mysteriously missing from the house.