The Homecoming is an enthralling journey of vines and ivy that twists and turns its way into understanding the human soul.
The self-described “psychodrama” propounded by the novel’s writer, Susie Steiner, looks into the mental state of one of the main characters, Bartholomew, the youngest son of a family of four, is a representation of youth’s inner-conflict, where he has to deal with the anguish and wishes of the family he loves, against the wishes and desires that he has conceived himself. Within the garden that he works in, Bartholomew finds escapism and a creative outlet to suit his state of mind and resolve his turmoil. Where his elder brother has been handed a responsibility, Bartholomew’s mind wanders, with childlike curiosity, into the wilderness of gardening, growth and most important of all, independence.
The writer, Susie Steiner, commented that, “The struggle at the heart of the book is one of separation – getting out from under one’s original family in order to create one’s own life. Bartholomew is struggling to become his own man, on his own terms, away from parents he loves deeply, and this struggle has been played out before in gardening.”
The novel seems to question, quite coyly, on what point do we stop living for our loved ones and start living for ourselves. What haunts us? Shapes us? When do we feel the restless urge to escape?
Steiner sees the world of gardening as a source of healing, with Bartholomew using it as a creative outlet; his father however, sees it as a feminised version of farming, a rejection of old ways to embrace the new.
“It seemed to me that gardening represented a link to his father’s farming – a connection to the seasons and a love of the outdoors.”
The style suits the setting, said to have a swift, naturalistic style that gently curls up around an unfolding drama that promises to touch the hearts of readers across the nation.
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