Home by Marilynne Robinson

 Home

by Marilynne Robinson

Occurring as a parallel story line to Robinson's book Gilead, Home tells the story of Jack Boughton's return to the town of Gilead where he finds his sister Glory caring for their elderly father Robert. The book is narrated from Glory's point of view, but it is ultimately Jack's story that is the focal point.

Jack returns to Gilead after getting to a low point in his tumultuous life. He has been sworn off by his wife and her father, and he returns to his childhood home in search of a place to find himself, some redemption, and a feeling of home, even though he never felt like he belonged.

Glory, herself running away from a life that didn't turn out as planned, is caring for their father, a retired Reverend who is nearing the end of his days. When Jack returns, Glory and Robert are shocked at the state of him, and shocked that he cam home at all. They fuss over him, tiptoe around his feelings in order to make sure he stays around instead of running off again as he always did when he was a young boy. Jack has a history with the bottle and they do their best to keep him straight while he is home.

Ultimately Jack finds that he still feels like an outsider in their family, and that his bad behavior is a condition that will never leave him. Even though he is kind, he is hard on himself and constantly questions his own words and actions, as he is prone to saying or doing the "wrong things." Glory finds comfort in having him home to help with Robert. She didn't know Jack well when they were growing up and she is finding a way into his life. The two of them bond over the course of the summer.

Throughout the story, Jack writes letters to his wife and they are returned to sender unopened. Jack decides that his stay has been unwelcomed after his father starts to tell him how he really feels about how Jack has treated the family, and Jack decides to leave again. Glory knows she will never be able to leave, and tells Jack that he will always have a place there after Robert passes.

Home, in my opinion, is not as great as Gilead, but it is a very good book, well written and full of beautiful, tight prose. Robinson doesn't hold back, and like Gilead, Home is concerned with religion and human suffering, regret, love, pain, and peace. It is about love, death, and faith, and how sometimes home is not the place we want to be, but are meant to be. It examines the generations of these emotions, alongside a family's faith and its secrets.

I give it 4 stars.