A novel full of humor and hope for finding yourself where you least expected.
Sean has spent twenty years in Third World war zones and natural disaster areas, fully embracing what he'd always felt was his life’s mission. But when burnout sets in, Sean is reluctantly drawn home to Belham, Massachusetts, the setting of Fay’s much-loved
Shelter Me.
There, he discovers that his steely aunt, overly dramatic sister, and quirky nephew are having a little natural disaster of their own. When he reconnects with a woman from his past, Sean has to wonder if the bonds of love and loyalty might just rewrite his destiny. Completely relatable,
The Shortest Way Home is another perfect serving of a slice of life from the irresistible Fay. ~~ synopsis from Goodreads
My thoughts about The Shortest Way Home ~~
I had already read one of Juliette's books,
Deep Down True. (you can read a synopsis and my thoughts
here) I thoroughly enjoyed it and have her books on my 'must be read' list. When this one came along to review, I just had to read it.
I loved this story for a lot of reasons but there was one in particular that I kept thinking about the whole time I was reading it ~ the main character in
The Shortest Way Home is a male. It seems like it has been quite a while since I have read a book from a male's perspective. It was refreshing.
Sean suffers some burnout and decides to go home for a little bit to regroup. Things don't go as smoothly as he had thought they would and he found himself with more responsibilities than he had ever had to face before. There are a lot of family issues and problems that have to be dealt with and he finds himself having a hard time walking away from the family who now needs him.
This is a wonderful story with a lot of great characters who are just trying to figure it out and who hope to, maybe, end up happy. Like I said before, I enjoyed reading this from a male's POV but I liked all of the people in the story. I would probably have to say one of my favorites was Sean's nephew Kevin. Kevin just wanted to be a normal sixth grader but he has some sensory issues. I really felt for Kevin as he tried to fit in while dealing with those issues. He really was a wise little boy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Juliette has done it again with another fabulous book. I have to confess that I stayed up way too late reading this book. It was a hard one to put down!
Thank you, Juliette for another great read!
Book trailer for The Shortest Way Home
About the author
Juliette Fay, author of The Shortest Way Home, won the 2009 Massachusetts Book Award Book of the Year for her first novel, Shelter Me. Her second novel, Deep Down True, was short-listed for the Women's Fiction Award by the American Library Association. She received a bachelor's degree from Boston College and a master's degree from Harvard University. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and four children. The Shortest Way Home is her third novel.
I received a copy of
The Shortest Way Home from
FSB Associates in exchange for my honest opinion.
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