In the beginning, I struggled with this novel. I found it to be wordy, slow-paced, repetitive and with much unnecessary detail. (Why did I need to know that a character washed her hands before heating her dinner – couldn't I just assume that?)

Despite the above, I kept reading. The more I read, the more I became hooked. It’s the kind of story that employs the reader as a detective and keeps you guessing all the way to the end.

The Homecoming has much to say about belonging, family, guilt and the unreliability of memories. The characters, as well as the landscape, were complex and vivid. I found myself searching the internet to discover if this novel was partly based on a true story and if the Australian town of Tambilla actually existed. (Dr. Google denied both.)

The pace picked up substantially in the last third, making the final portion much more riveting (and causing me to stay up well past my bedtime)!

Thank you to NetGalley for granting me an Advance Reader Copy.

Publication Release Date 4/4/23
Number of Pages: 550+

Kate Morton has yet to write a book that I didn't like. This book is probably one her best ever which I have read. Stories about family and family secrets are always intriguing. This one uses the unique perspectives from the protagonist, Jess, and from the author (now dead) of a book written about a disaster in her family. The actual story of what happened to one relation and her family gets quite convoluted and only gets resolved at the end. The ending is a surprise, too. There are several surprises in the book. Similarly the relationship with Jess and her mother doesn't get resolved per se, but it is something they are continuing to work on, The book is entitled Homecoming, and even the title poses a questions to me, even at the end reflecting on the book.
What does Homecoming mean to me? To Jess, it meant an end to loneliness. Does it mean one specific place or where one's family was for the most part of one's life? Another point that was brought out in the book was referring to one's memories from childhood. Do we really remember things correctly, or how we want to remember them? Another excellent book by Morton, and one that I will definitely read again. Well done, Kate Morton!!!!

https://wwAs we are now coming to expect from Kate Morton, Homecoming is a novel that moves through time, and through events occurring in those different times. Opening in Adelaide Hills, South Australia in 1959 we then travel on a seesaw journey to London in 2018 and back again. And as we have also come to expect, the novel is big and sprawling, emotionally taut, and featuring diverse and fascinating characters.
Homecoming is complex and has several seemingly unconnected plot lines and characters. Only as the reader journeys through the novel do relationships come together and connections are realized. Jess is a struggling writer in London, searching for an idea to submit to a publisher. Percy, who with his wife, runs a grocery store in Australia, walks into the horror of a dead family. Nora, Jess’s grandmother, rambles about “the pages” as she lies in a hospital bed. Mr. Thomas Turner is always looking for a new “grand plan” to hold his interest and there is Daniel Miller who wrote a series of essays on the gruesome murder witnessed by Percy.
These and a dozen more interesting characters will all play a part as the story unfolds. In addition to the mystery of the death of a family and of who fathered a child, we have lies and untruths, romance, and secrets. Ms. Morton makes old buildings, beautiful landscapes, broken down huts, fashions, and more come alive in the mind.
All in all, a well-written and fascinating read. The story engaged my emotions and instilled in me the need to solve the several mysteries presented in its pages.
I have no hesitation in recommendation Homecoming to readers who like to get the teeth into a complex and challenging read.
Thanks to the author and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read an ARC
w.goodreads.com/review/edit/53287003

I would first like to state that Kate Morton is definitely in my top 3 favourite authors. I have absolutely devoured her pervious books and loved them all. This one however, was absolutely terrible!

Firstly, the way in which the book was written was entirely confusing and I was not a fan of the book within a book thing going on. It was very difficult to keep track of what was a memory, what was in the book, and what was in the present day. Like I said, her previous books were great so I have no issues with the bumping back and forth but the execution on this style did not go well.

I also was having a hard time distinguishing when memories became the focus of the paragraph and not just a quick side comment. There was no clear break or transition so you'd be halfway down a paragraph and not have realized you jumped back 50 years.

I also didn't love the various POVs. Towards the end and you are adding more, nope. Just too much.

I will die on the Kate Morton hill, but I think this book is the "we don't talk about Homecoming" type of book.

Thank you ever so much for this ARC. As disappointed as I was, I'm still very grateful to have been able to read it!

I am a big fan of Kate Morton and her newest book didn't disappoint! Great read, wonderfully vivid writing.