Dear Reader,
Home is my favorite book so far by Ginny Yttrup.
Our protagonist is Melanie Vander, a novelist trying to write outside of the box she’s always written in. As Melanie creates her fictional story, she begins to see the need to address her own reality.
Melanie’s husband Craig is rebuilding his business after a crushing recession. Even as Craig tries to connect with his increasingly distant wife, he finds himself drawn to a beautiful client offering him a solid financial solution.
Meanwhile, Melanie’s next-door-neighbor and editor Jill is showing increasing signs of mental illness. Jill’s husband Marcos tries to help Jill uncover the secrets of her childhood while continuing to be a support for his friend and neighbor Craig.
And mutual friend and therapist Valerie plays an important role in helping both Melanie and Jill move forward.
This engaging book tells several stories at once, and Yttrup elegantly switches between the different characters’ perspectives and stories.
Another unique and fun aspect of this book is that we get to read sections of the novel Melanie is writing, giving us a peek at how Melanie’s creative process reflects what’s going on in her real life.
(As a side note, I especially recommend this book to readers who are looking for an example of how Christian living plays out in a marriage. Both couples in this story are real and flawed, and as they turn to God for help, readers get to see what that looks like up close.)
This beautiful story captures the concept of how home can mean different things to different people. It shows us that it’s okay if what we value about home changes over time and reminds us that some traits of what we long for in a home will never change.
Reader, what does home mean to you today? Do you think your definition of home might ever change? Let’s talk about it.
Here with you,
Laura
(Home is a standalone novel. If you’re interested in reading more from Yttrup, click here for my review of Invisible, the first book in Yttrup’s Mendocino Village series.)
