I loved Emma Hooper's debut novel, 'Etta and Otto and Russell and James', and 'Our Homesick Songs' is equally lovely. Set in Newfoundland, in 1992, it is the story of a young boy, Finn who tries to find a way to entice back the fish that have disappeared, so his life can return to normal. It's a captivating tale about a dying community and one boy's attempt to save his family.

I can't put my finger on exactly what it was about Our Homesick Songs that I loved so much, there's a real lyrical, melodic sense to the book, as someone who grew up on the coast of Ireland, in a way I could imagine this being a story told by one of the old fishermen that used to sit down by the pier, it's quite a slow paced book and took a little time to get into the story but once you do it's wholesome and gives a very true depiction of life on the coast, I know all too well the hardships that coastal towns and those that go out to sea face, and this book depicted it in a perfectly poetic but raw way. 

There's a touch of the magical throughout the book with the interwoven folk tales and songs and you'll fall in love with Finn and Cora as they forge their way in Big Running with the aim of rescuing the town amidst the devastating backdrop of the Canadian Fishing crisis of 1992...

Try and read this without shedding a tear or two....

I should have known from my experience with Etta and Otto that Hooper’s style is too twee for me, but I was lured in by the accordion on the cover! I did like the existence of the library boat and Cora redecorating the rooms of a derelict house to match her latest travel book.

This is an absolutely delightful tale of a young boy who thinks up a plan to save his family and community. Newfoundland 1992. The fish on which the small community depends have been overfished and have disappeared – in fact in that year the Canadian government stopped all cod fishing off the Newfoundland coast. No longer able to make a living, one by one the local families are forced to move away. 10 year old Finn’s parents take it in turns to go away to work, doing a month each, then coming home to take care of Finn and his sister. Such a disrupted and disruptive life can’t continue – it’s up to Finn to find a way to get the fish back. It’s beautifully gentle story, moving, lyrical, perhaps a little sentimental at times, but a thoroughly absorbing read which I very much enjoyed, an evocative and atmospheric novel about family, love and forgiveness.

What is it about this book that I loved so much?  I am always drawn to stories set in a northern wilderness, especially on an island, and it ticked that box.  Difficult lives, for sure, and it is a sad story in some ways - the people’s livelihoods taken away by overfishing and their very homes under threat, leading to the parents working away from home on rotation with all the stress that involves.  The two children touched me most, both trying to save their family in their own ways.  I was drawn to brave, resilient, determined Cora.  My heart belongs to Finn, though, so earnest in his strategies to call the fish back and save the day.  

Gorgeous descriptions of landscape, especially the hazardous wintry ocean, plenty of wry humour, despite the serious themes, pithy dialogue, to say the least, I liked everything about this book and the ending was a joy.  I particularly enjoyed Cora’s surreal installations in the empty houses, Finn’s sound and light extravaganza and the vision of Sophie clanking around with her medals up her jumper.

A solid 4-star read, with an extra star for Finn himself.

A gentle, moving story about the demise of a Newfoundland fishing community and the stresses the loss of their traditional livelihood had on families who had made their living for generations by fishing there.

Our Homesick Songs alternates between two years, 1974 and 1992/3.  The latter is significant because 1992 was the year in which the Canadian government suspended cod fishing off the Newfoundland coast.  The big factory ships had decimated stocks, as they also did in Scotland, and they needed time to recover.  Aidan Connor and Martha Murphy fell in love in 1974.  In 1992, their relationship was strained by the necessity of working away from home in alternate months from each other.  Their children, Finn and Cora, reacted in different ways to the problems facing their community and their parents, with both trying to find their own way to help the family and their community to survive.

Old folk songs and folk memories are interwoven into the story hence the title of the book.  Whilst addressing serious issues, it’s a warming tale of relationships and of the power of music to create a bond between people.  I really enjoyed it.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK for a free review copy.

CHILD-LIKE DELIGHT, GROWN-UP TEARS. 

From the writer who debuted in 2015 with the wonderful Etta and Otto and Russell and James, Emma Hooper’s second novel is altogether different but equally unusual, touching and lyrical. (Be warned: she doesn’t use speech marks. As a rule, this would irritate the life out of me but somehow she makes it work.) There’s something really quite special about Ms Hooper’s writing. Difficult to put one’s finger on; a kind of child-like delight that brings to mind the very best of young fiction. One almost expects illustrations, silhouettes by Jan Pienkowski perhaps. And wonder of wonders, towards the end of the book, there are indeed silhouettes of bears and fish! (Let me reassure you though, this book is not remotely twee.)

The story is set in Newfoundland, Canada, primarily in 1992. When the fish vanish from the treacherous waters surrounding the tiny community of Big Running, the people start to disappear too. Work must be found. For the Connors, Aidan and Martha and their two children 14-year old Cora and 10-year old Finn, life is tough. But Big Running is their home and they love it. The only solution that Aidan and Martha can devise is for them to work alternate months on the mainland, a ferry-ride and a plane flight away. The school has become unsustainable and the Connors kids are left more or less to their own devices: Cora, bright and resourceful, decorates the islanders’ abandoned houses with her hand-made national themes – Italy! Thailand! China! Russia! Finn sails his small boat across to Mrs Callaghan, the lone resident left in neighbouring Little Running, to learn the accordion and listen to her stories. If only he could find a way to entice the fish back so that life could return to normal. Song is very nearly as important to the islanders as food and drink, and besides, there is always a chance that a mermaid will sing back to them from the icy waves…

This book is magical without being winsome, poignant without being mawkish. It made me feel awe for people who lead such hardscrabble lives. It made me feel glad I didn’t live in Newfoundland (however much the Connors loved it). It frequently made me smile. And it certainly made me cry on more than one occasion. This memorable tale is almost enough to make one believe in mermaids…