The house in town

the long version

The time is New Year's Eve, 1929. In an elegant New York brownstone on "Millionaire's Row" (West 23rd Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues), Sam Hammer, a Jewish department store tycoon and his non-Jewish wife, Amy, bid their last few guests farewell with a parting wish: "A better year ahead." But, as that pivotal year begins, the shadow of the enormous London Terrace apartment complex under construction looms over their home. The shadow also portends Wall Street's impending collapse, and the growing strain upon the Hammer's marriage. Though Amy and Sam seem devoted to each other, their marriage has been childless, leading to a "what's-the-point" abandonment of sexual relations. The looming Great Depression is likely to put a crimp in the lavish lifestyle of the Hammers and their friends--just as the rapidly rising giant London Terrace apartments across the street is about to rob their house of much of its light.--From publisher's description.