Home
By Elizabeth Murphy
The blurb for this story is so strong, you can’t help but get sucked into it. I love the language, I love the style of writing, and I love Aspen. Part of me felt like this book would be very cliché. You have a young, struggling teenager who’s getting back in touch with her father, trying to rediscover herself, and trying to believe in who she is—despite being told all these horrible things throughout her high school career. There’s plenty of room for this to have become nothing more than a cliché and cheesy retelling of a story we’ve all read before but I was pleased to find out that it was anything but.
Aspen is a terrible person. She is so far from perfect its painful to watch her in the first part of the book. I genuinely felt sorry for her, angry at her, and compassionate toward her at the same time. I won’t say I could identify with her, but Murphy wrote in such a way that allowed me to understand her and to feel sympathy for her and her struggles.
This book falls somewhere between contemporary fiction and coming of age. There are some gentle moments, tough moments, romantic moments too. But everything falls together, not so perfectly, but well enough to have a lasting effect. I do think I will remember this story long after finishing it. It is entertaining and, in some odd way, made me smile. Maybe it was Aspen’s strength, or the fact that she could recognize her weakness. Maybe it was the bond—or lack thereof—with her father. Maybe it was just the messed up messiness that was in this book. I don’t know, but I do know that Home is a bold and thought-provoking story.
If you like high school fiction, young adult stories, or anything about a female lead finding her strength, this book will certainly entertain you. I would recommend it to young adults, and anyone who enjoys new adult fiction. It is not chit lit but I believe female readers will appreciate this more than male readers. The writing and narration is very good but the highlight of this story is the characters and the connections you get to make with them. So if you like strong bonds and stories that make you feel something beyond the pages, I would urge you to get a copy of this quick.
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*