Book Review: Homecoming by Kate Morton

Homecoming is classic Kate Morton, with dual timelines competing for my love and attention. Morton crafts her stories in such a way that I don’t have time to properly fret over a cliffhanger in one timeline because I’m getting pulled back into the equally engaging storyline in the other. 

We begin in the past, where we’re briefly introduced to members of the Turner family on New Year’s Day 1959 before skipping ahead to Christmas Eve of the same year, when a local man comes upon the family in a tragic and haunting tableau that forms the mystery at the heart of the story. Fast-forward 60 years to London, where we meet a young woman named Jess. She’s struggling personally and professionally and seems to be at a bit of a cross-roads in her life. When Jess receives a call that her beloved grandmother has been hospitalized, she returns home to Australia and soon finds herself unexpectedly discovering family secrets. 

Themes of motherhood, explored throughout the story, as well as the dynamics portrayed between the three generations of women: Nora, Polly and Jess, were honest and at times heartbreaking. I enjoyed getting to know each of these women.

The dark mystery at the heart of the story was complex but not convoluted, with all of the pieces fitting quite nicely together by the end of the story. While I was able to correctly predict some of the mystery before the reveal, there were other twists I didn’t see coming, and I really loved being surprised. I enjoyed the idea of the book within the book that helped Jess solve the mystery, though I probably could have done without some of the lengthier excerpts. 

I don’t often reread books, but I could see myself reading this one again to discover clues that I didn’t pick up on during the first read. As a long-time fan of Kate Morton, this book didn’t disappoint. It truly did feel like coming home again!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for an egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5