Chapter 17 - Going Home
As the winter ends and spring spreads her wings over us, many of our winter visitors go home. While this is sad for us, I am sure they are happy to get back to friends and families in their hometowns. We are very fortunate to have visitors from all over the United States and Canada during the winter. They bring a fresh perspective, new stories, and great recommendations of book to read.
The sadness comes because many of our friends we are not sure we will see again. Illnesses come and go in families, friends pass away, financial circumstances change, and sometimes people decide that they just don't want to travel anymore. We always hope to see our same customers back year after year but that is not how it always works out.
This started me thinking about going home and the feelings both good and bad which that brings. Questions arise like "Is home really where the heart is?" and "Can you every truly go home again?"
Here are some good books about going home and the ease or distress it causes.
The Mitford Series by Jan Karon - Karon's books are clearly proponents of the "home is where the heart is" ideology. Her wonderful series brings interesting characters together to create homes where none existed before. This is "feel good" reading at its best.
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones - Oprah has picked this book for her first book
club book of 2018. The story is about a young, upwardly mobile African American couple, Celestial and Roy, whose marriage is torn apart unexpectedly when Roy is found guilty of a crime he didn't commit and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Celestial moves on with her own life and after 5 years, Roy's conviction is overturned and he goes home to reclaim his life. This is a powerful story of love and loss.
Find Her by Lisa Gardner - Gardner writes wonderful books of suspense and Find Her is no exception. Flora Dane has spent a year in captivity, kidnapped during college spring break. When she is finally freed, Flora tries to go home but is she too damaged to do so?
Nora Webster by Colm Tolbin - Nora is a recent widow in a small town in Ireland. Not only does she struggle with living from day to day without her husband but she feels that she doesn't fit in because she is now single. Nora moves through her grief as she tries to figure out where her home really is.
Where'd You Go Bernadette? by Maria Semple - Told from the viewpoint of 15 year old Bee, her mother Bernadette is a conundrum. Claiming her reward, a trip to the Antarctic, for acing her studies, Bee is gearing up for the trip of a lifetime. Before it can happen, Bernadette goes missing. Bee puts together emails, texts, notes, and newspaper clippings to find her mother and bring her home.
Do you have a favorite going home novel?