Morton’s skill at the parallel-narrative style is on full display here as she alternates between the perspectives of various townsfolk in 1959, Jess in 2018, and excerpts from As If They Were Asleep. Readers will think they know the connection between the two story lines, but Morton keeps the secrets coming, leading up to a powerful, emotional conclusion. This is storytelling at its finest.
Captivating ... One of the delights for readers of a mystery is picking up little crumbs of evidence along the way. As Homecoming gallops toward its close, you may think you know what’s coming, and the foreknowledge is both ghastly and thrilling. In a book like this one, there are a lot of ways the story can take a turn toward the preposterous or at least the improbable.
At times Morton’s pacing could use some tightening. And while mystery readers will likely figure out a big twist long before it's revealed, Morton’s layered writing—realized most successfully in the scenes from the past—leaves surprises for even the keenest of detectives ... A slow-paced novel that rewards patient readers.
An eerie epic ... Along the way, there are beautiful descriptions of the region’s landscape and canny insights into the neighborhood’s tight-knit community. This is Morton’s best yet.
