Hardback: 372 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Italy
Publisher: Doubleday 2025
Source: Tywyn Public Library
First Sentences: That was the summer they wore flip-flops. Everywhere they went, they wore them.
Setting: Lake Orta, Italy
Favourite Quote: “The fact is,” she said, “we’re all born. We’re all going to die. So the only interesting question is what we choose to do with the middle.”
Review Quote: A masterly and deeply satisfying exploration of art, grief and familial bonds. -- Hannah Beckerman- Author
My Opinion:
Having enjoyed the previous novels I have read by Rachel Joyce I was keen to read her latest offering 'The Homemade God'
The protagonists are four siblings Netta, Susan, Gustav(Goose) and Iris. Now adults, they were brought up by their widowed artist father with whom they have a tempestuous relationship. Their world is torn apart when Vic meets and marries, in a very short space time, a much younger woman. This seems to them out of character and they are suspicious of her motives. To make matters even worse, Vic dies within weeks of the marriage leaving them reeling with doubts. Obviously they need to find out what happened to their father and the process completely screws up even more the family dynamics as secrets are revealed.
An absorbing and emotional novel with complex characters. Highly recommend this novel to everyone as it is a superb read from a talented author.
Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:
Goose and his three sisters gather at their father's home by Lake Orta in Piedmont, Italy. Their father, a famous artist, has recently remarried a much younger woman and decamped to Italy to finish his masterpiece; now he is dead. There is no sign of his new wife and no sign of a painting.Always close, all that the siblings come to understand, about themselves, their father and their new stepmother, Bella-Mae, will drive them apart before they can come to any kind of understanding of what their father's legacy truly is.
Previous Reviews: Miss Benson's Beetle. Perfect. Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Author Profile:
Courtesy of Goodreads
Rachel Joyce was born in London in 1962. She has written over 20 original afternoon plays for BBC Radio 4, and major adaptations for both the Classic Series, Woman's Hour and also a TV drama adaptation for BBC 2. In 2007 she won the Tinniswood Award for best radio play. She moved to writing after a twenty-year career in theatre and television, performing leading roles for the RSC, the Royal National Theatre, The Royal Court, and Cheek by Jowl, winning a Time Out Best Actress award and the Sony Silver.
For a full profile visit her Website
Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:
Goodreads Profile Rachel Joyce - Official Website Instagram Profile