They need him to remember. He wants to forget.
1918. In the last week of the First World War, a uniformed soldier is arrested in Durham Cathedral. When questioned, it becomes clear he has no memory of who he is or how he came to be there.
The soldier is given the name Adam and transferred to a rehabilitation home. His doctor James is determined to recover who this man once was. But Adam doesn’t want to remember. Unwilling to relive the trauma of war, Adam has locked his memory away, seemingly for good.
When a newspaper publishes a feature about Adam, three women come forward, each claiming that he is someone she lost in the war. But does he believe any of these women? Or is there another family out there waiting for him to come home?
Based on true events, When I Come Home Again is a deeply moving and powerful story of a nation’s outpouring of grief, and the search for hope in the aftermath of war.
Review: This book was really compelling from the word go. It takes a well-written historical fiction novel to get m interested because I don't normally enjoy travelling back in time but I was so intrigued by Adam and his mysterious background I wanted to read on.
This book is very much a book driven by Adam and his mysterious surroundings. The three women that claim him are all so interesting and all just a sad reminder of how many people were never found after either of the world wars. Each of the women is so different in her own way and you find yourself wishing that one of them did belong in Adam's life, for their sake as much as for Adam's.
This book also has a lot of heart to it. The doctors looking after Adam, James in particular, each have their own lives and yet they put their heart and soul into finding out what happened in Adam's past that they risk their own personal lives. There is just a lot of love being poured into Adam from every direction.
I really liked the setting of this book. For a book set during a post-war era there aren't many scenes involving war or battle even when remembering moments in the past and yet there is a lot of reminder that this book is set in and around the lake district and I loved that. There are scenes in Ambleside and in Oxenholme train station and so I found it really easy to picture myself there because these are place I know well.
In terms of plot, I found the mystery aspect of it very intriguing and it kept me turning the pages but I was a little dissatisfied in the ending. I think I wanted things to end a certain way and I didn't get my wish and so after 482 pages I did feel a little let down. I enjoyed the journey but not quite so much where we ended up.
If you enjoy a novel set in and around post-war England or if you like a little mystery in your historical fiction then I am sure you will enjoy this one.
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