Homeward Bound

Homeward Bound is full of humor and affection. Sometimes it is so funny that I found myself laughing out loud! Refreshingly, all the characters in this book are endearingly imperfect. The book portrays love between: a man and a woman; between an 18th month girl and her parents; and between sisters. Mothers will be delighted with the realistic portrayal of the little girl. Homeward Bound, however, is not all sweetness and light. Although the book is funny, throughout the book the author addresses an extremely serious theme - gang rape. She seems to deal with it realistically. (Neither I nor anyone I know has had this experience.) I have one objection to this book. Before the beginning of the book, a main character was incarcerated for three years in a Confederate prison camp. Although the author addresses the physical privations he suffered, she unfortunately does not address the psychological effects of this horrific experience. The Civil War prisons (both North and South) were indescribably cruel and did enormous psychological damage to the prisoners. I've owned this book for awhile and have read it more than once. Each time when I start, I think this will be the last reading. Each time when I finish, I save it to read again. AJS Among the Palms in Santa Monica, CA