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A review by emilyrowanstudio
Homesick by Jennifer Croft
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.75
Conceptually, this is a fascinating book. Flitting between third person prose and descriptions of photographs and meditations around language, translation and memory written in the first person.
Homesick was first published as fiction written in Spanish, then translated to English and published as a memoir including photographs. It was then rewritten and republished a third time as a novel without the photographs. The backstory is fascinating if you care to read into it.
The novel is about photographs, language, sisterhood, family, connection, translation, memory, travel, grief, and mental health. A lot of topics for a short book. I really enjoyed the blurred lines between novel and memoir, which brought a unique sense of an intimacy and tenderness.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, chronicling sisters Amy and Zoe's childhood and early adolescence, and the ending, but my interest waivered a little around the third quarter. There were certainly poignant and beautiful parts to this story, however I feel overall that the unique style and concept of the story-telling carries the actual story that was told.
Homesick was first published as fiction written in Spanish, then translated to English and published as a memoir including photographs. It was then rewritten and republished a third time as a novel without the photographs. The backstory is fascinating if you care to read into it.
The novel is about photographs, language, sisterhood, family, connection, translation, memory, travel, grief, and mental health. A lot of topics for a short book. I really enjoyed the blurred lines between novel and memoir, which brought a unique sense of an intimacy and tenderness.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, chronicling sisters Amy and Zoe's childhood and early adolescence, and the ending, but my interest waivered a little around the third quarter. There were certainly poignant and beautiful parts to this story, however I feel overall that the unique style and concept of the story-telling carries the actual story that was told.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Suicide, and Suicide attempt