Home by Penny Parkes

 

I jumped at the chance to be on the blog tour for Home because this, in my opinion, is Penny Parkes 

Best 

Book

Yet!

So I wanted to share my review far and wide so you can see what made this book such a thought-provoking and captivating read for me.

Anna Wilson travels the world as a professional housesitter – stepping into other people’s lives - caring for their homes, pets and sometimes even neighbours. Living vicariously.
 
But all Anna has ever really wanted is a home of her own – a proper one, filled with family and love and happy memories. If only she knew where to start.
 
Growing up in foster care, she always envied her friends their secure and carefree lives, their certainty and confidence. And, while those same friends may have become her family of choice, Anna is still stuck in that nomadic cycle, looking for answers, trying to find the courage to put down roots and find a place to call home.

I have read and enjoyed Penny Parkes books in the past so when I saw the cover of her new release Home I was won over with the simplistic design and popped this one on my TBR list straight away. Having now just finished reading Home I can honestly say this is Penny Parkes at her best and her writing in this book has more depth and emotion which made this storyline feel so raw, honest and insightful leaving a mark on my heart.

We meet Anna who is a house sitter which on the face of it seems like a rather exciting job being paid to live in the luxurious houses she could only dream of moving from idyllic location after location, but as we get to know Anna we dig deeper and see that this is all Anna has ever known having been moved from home to home and family to family.

Anna is lost, Anna doesn’t know who she is or where she fits in the world, she has no foundations and yet she has the biggest heart and is intelligent but her childhood has shaped her future but the question is How many times can you start over?

The loneliness and that feeling of not being able to trust anyone after anyone Anna lets in breaks her that little bit more is heartbreaking and can be felt through the pages. She has one great big positive in her life though, her one and only constant her bestfriend Kate who she meets at university.

The storyline highlighted the effects on children being in care has on them showing that not every home who opens the door to look after children opens the heart too and the lasting damage this causes.

The last quarter of the book was what really had me chocked though this is where I really did have a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat as we have had such a detailed telling of Anna’s life and so we really feel like we know Anna on a personal level and this is a young woman who deserves so much love and happiness in life but she doesn’t know how to achieve this, does she even think she is worthy of this? How does she turn her life around and start a new chapter with no guidance, no help and no idea what her happy place is?

It just opens your eyes to the fact you can’t choose your family but you can choose your tribe, get your tribe right no matter how big or small and that is where love, support, contentment and happiness will be.

A beautiful and evocative novel that has really touched a nerve and opened my eyes, it is never too late to start a new chapter. Praise to Penny Parkes, Home is a book not to be missed.

Kindle                       Hardback