Take Me Home

A great novel about family, the bonds that unite us and the wounds that divide us.

Juan has managed to leave the nest and move abroad when he finds himself forced to return to his hometown after his father dies. His intention is to resume his life in Edinburgh as soon as possible once the burial is done, but his sister breaks some news that compels him to change his plans. So, despite his best intentions, he finds himself back in the same place he wanted to flee, taking care of his mother, even though he barely knows her. In fact, the only thing he feels they have in common is the family’s old Renault 4.

Take Me Home is a painstaking study of the strains of middle age, when grown-up children become their parents’ carers, when sibling resentments flare up, and when those who as young adults flew the nest find themselves back in the family home, in painful new roles. The novel’s success lies in Jesús Carrasco’s ability to show the complexities of his characters’ feelings without holding up any one response as more natural or right.