This Is Where We Live by Janelle Brown

The provided text consists of extensive excerpts from the novel "This Is Where We Live" by Janelle Brown, which is categorized as domestic fiction. The narrative centers on a couple, Claudia and Jeremy, who are grappling with severe financial difficulties while trying to maintain their home and pursue their artistic careers, leading to intense personal and marital strain. Claudia is a filmmaker whose independent film failed commercially, forcing her to take a high school teaching job, and Jeremy is a musician whose band has broken up and who is stuck in a job designing decals, further complicated by the reappearance of his provocative ex-girlfriend and famous artist, Aoki. The excerpts reveal the couple's differing priorities, escalating arguments, and ultimately, Jeremy's abandonment of Claudia to pursue an impulsive, unstable life with Aoki in Europe, while Claudia sells their house and Aoki's valuable painting to gain financial independence and start over.