Publisher: 4th April 2023 by Allen & Unwin Australia
Pages: 630 pages
Genre: mystery, thriller, historical fiction
My Rating: 5 cups
Synopsis:
Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek on the grounds of the grand and mysterious mansion, a local delivery man makes a terrible discovery. A police investigation is called and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most shocking and perplexing murder cases in the history of South Australia.
Sixty years later, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for almost twenty years, she now finds herself laid off from her full-time job and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother, Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and been raced to the hospital.
Nora has always been a vibrant and strong presence: decisive, encouraging, young despite her years. When Jess visits her in the hospital, she is alarmed to find her grandmother frail and confused. It’s even more alarming to hear from Nora's housekeeper that Nora had been distracted in the weeks before her accident and had fallen on the steps to the attic—the one place Jess was forbidden from playing in when she was small.
At loose ends in Nora's house, Jess does some digging of her own. In Nora's bedroom, she discovers a true crime book, chronicling the police investigation into a long-buried tragedy: the Turner Family Tragedy of Christmas Eve, 1959. It is only when Jess skims through the book that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this once-infamous crime—a crime that has never been resolved satisfactorily. And for a journalist without a story, a cold case might be the best distraction she can find…
An epic novel that spans generations, Homecoming asks what we would do for those we love, and how we protect the lies we tell. It explores the power of motherhood, the corrosive effects of tightly held secrets, and the healing nature of truth. Above all, it is a beguiling and immensely satisfying novel from one of the finest writers working today.
My Thoughts
Did you hear that audible sigh? That was me, turning the final page on Kate’s upcoming new release, Homecoming. Just when you think the next book could not possibly rival the last she wrote (over 5 years ago) - she proves you wrong. Once more Kate delivers to her fans a storyline that is seamlessly woven together. One is never lost, in fact, the enhancement is beyond measure - the craftsmanship sublime.
‘It never failed to amaze Jess, the power of the written word to impart not only knowledge, but experience. This was her first time physically in this house; but Daniel Miller had taken her to Halcyon in 1959 and thus she already knew
it.’
This is an intricate and complex tale of families and home all bound together with a mystery that will thrill you to the very end. There are lies, there are secrets and when the final twist is revealed, there is the liberation of finally uncovering the truth. Kate reveals how the past may haunt the present. The breadcrumb of clues are strategically placed and revelation comes with impeccable timing, but wait! Just when you think you hold the key in your hand, it reveals another closed door! No! So once more you return to Morton land as she keeps digging deeper and deeper into the heart of her characters; as the intricate layers, with twists one could not guess, just keep coming.
‘For all that 'home' was considered a word of warmth and comfort, policemen knew better. Home is where the heart is, and the heart could be a dark and damaged place.’
Moving over some 50 years and three generations, roaming from London to Sydney yet at its heart is the call of the Adelaide hills - this is a story that will consume you. Morton is the Master! Page after page where you lose yourself in the character, in the mystery, in the haunting house and its surroundings and in, most importantly, the wonder of her words. I simply don’t know how she does it - the time and place, the tears and turns - it all feels so real. In many respects - especially book lovers out there - it is as if Kate were writing the book to you …. for you. I highlighted so many quotes that truly spoke to my heart - this could not be fiction. This is Kate and I thank her for writing how I feel on paper - her storytelling is second to none as she eloquently transports her readers to another place and time.
‘Reading shapes a person. The landscape of books is more real, in some ways,
than the one outside the window. It isn't experienced at a remove; it is internal, vital.’
I can say, without a doubt, this is one of the best books I have ever read. Kate is always in my top three authors as her writing is so immersive and I am lost in her words. Homecoming is stunningly beautiful and heartachingly told about the secrets we keep, the hurt we bring to those we love and the absolute joy of finally reaching ‘home’. Thank you Kate for bringing me home.
‘Home, she'd realised, wasn't a place or a time or a person, though it could be any and all of those things: home was a feeling, a sense of being complete.’
