Way Home

The Way Home is the mesmerizing story of a woman's search for happiness and fulfillment, which she begins to realize she can achieve only by coming to terms with her difficult relationship with her alcoholic, aging father, and by letting go of her long-held belief that she can save him from himself. Ultimately she learns that forgiving someone (and one's own past behavior) takes time, but is necessary to open oneself up enough to trust and love another. Carolyn is an engaging, self-deprecating narrator with a wry sense of humor: when she looks at herself in the mirror after a trip through the heat of the desert (the evocatively described high desert of California, where windmills kick up the dust as they turn air into energy), she says, "Wilted lettuce came to mind." Johnson has written a beautiful book about a relationship between a flawed father and a daughter, and the way forgiveness and acceptance can transform one's notion of what "home" really means and what real love looks, tastes, and feels like. A lovely novel, beautifully written, suggesting great things still to come from this author.

I read "The Way Home" in one afternoon, Once I got started, I couldn't put it down. It reminded me of my own birth family. The characters are refreshingly moral and the story is clean reading in this day and age. It has real characters that seen to grab hold and pull you in. The setting is one we all wish we could escape to at times. It would be nice to have a reason to get away from this fast paced life and do something for some one else. We have a real dilemma today with elder care. Parents are being put into homes and being left there to die. In helping her father, Carolyn found herself. The romance is sweet but it doesn't exploit sexuality. It has enough to peak your interest and keep it! It has a strong message about forgiveness, which is key to happiness. In reading this book, I found myself examining my own hidden anger and unforgiveness and was much more willing to let it go. I recommend this book to almost anybody. There are issues we all have dealt with or been exposed to in our lifetimes. It is like several sessions of free therapy; A must read!

The Way Home is spellbinding. It's been many years since I picked up a book I couldn't put down. I had to find out where Allison Johnson was going with this story. I was never bored and never skimmed. The Way Home is an excellent story...well told.

Allison Johnson's novel deftly evokes the California landscape and the people who populate it. She writes with charm and grace about intertwined lives, imperfect lives, and redemption through forgiveness. She touches on universal emotions from the first page.

This book is a refreshing satire. Without the use of profanity, sex, violence or other "tools", it provides the reader with a great reading experience. If I were interested in teaching the art of reading, I would use this book as a GOOD example of character development and expertly spun tales. It teaches, it stretches the imagination, and it eases the spirit. A thumbs up from me!