Authentic
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Acorn Publishing. All opinions are my own.
Carry Me Home is a beautifully written novel that follows a family of three women, each trying to escape their own reality in different ways. I found myself able to identify with all three women at different times throughout the novel.These three characters became so real to me throughout reading that I felt as if I could touch them. Jessica Therrien breathes life into these women with her artfully crafted prose.
Although there were times where this novel was filled with action and edge-of-your-seat scenes, I would not refer to the pacing as fast. The point of view switches made it easy to set down in this case. Which is actually okay because this is a novel that invoked so much thought that I don't think it should be devoured in one sitting. But with such beautiful writing and thought provoking prose I did not find that it invoked much emotion within me. With the subject matter it certainly could have, so I kind of felt like that was a missing piece of this puzzle. I just felt a bit of an emotional disconnect, especially with Ruth. Probably because she was the character I related to the least.
This book has so much packed into it that I feel like it might have been better split into several books. Gangs, violence, drugs, alcoholic home, love, grief and family dynamics. It is a realistic story though. It shows you how a person could find themselves addicted to drugs and makes you understand why someone would wind up there. This story is full of ugly truths, and it feels 100% real.
I found myself wondering if this novel is based on personal experience or not. At times I feel as if it could be my story about my years of teenage rebellion. (I wasn't quite as wild as Lucy, but I did sneak out my bedroom window.) It just feels extremely authentic and I wouldn't be surprised if the author had lived through some of this herself.
I would suggest this book to lovers of dark, realistic fiction. At times it might not be entirely appropriate for all young adult readers, probably best for 15 and up.
