“You need to come and get my daughter. She’s not safe anymore.”
For Sophie, life with her daughter has never been easy. Rosie’s extreme autism has made her unpredictable and often difficult. Like most mothers though, her first instinct has always been to protect her child and keep her close. However, when Rosie’s escalating violence culminates in a terrifying incident at home, Sophie is faced with a choice that no parent ever wants to make. A choice that will inevitably plunge her into a set of unimaginable new circumstances which will test her to the limit.
A true test of a mother’s love.
Could you send your child away?
What did I think?
Oh my word, what an emotional rollercoaster of a read this is. Home is so full of emotion that I felt every bump in Sophie's road with her. She has such difficult choices to make and it is so interesting to see so many different sides of the story: that of the immediate family but also how it is perceived by others. Home is such a brave and eye-opening story that even the coldest heart won't fail to be moved by it.
Sophie is on her own with two beautiful daughters: 16 year old Chloe who is studying for her exams and 12 year old Rosie who has autism. Rosie's autism sometimes presents in an entirely loving manner but in other times it can result in violent outbursts that cause harm to others and Rosie herself. Sophie makes the heartbreaking decision to put Rosie into a residential home and it is clear that this decision was the hardest decision that Sophie has ever had to make - the despair was practically jumping off the page. We go on to see how Sophie's decision impacts on the whole family and every family member gets the chance to get their feelings across.
Home is a pure unadulterated love story. A mother's love can sometimes mean that the hardest decisions have to be made, a decision that may appear selfish to some but is actually so completely selfless. Kate Hughes has managed to effortlessly show all the sides to this story, whilst injecting humour along with the bundles of love. Talking of humour, I felt like I had to get my fly swatter out as Greg and Mark started buzzing around Sophie like annoying bluebottles on a sunny day!
Something so completely different and emotion-full, Home is a heart-breaking, yet heart-warming read and is 100% recommended. Read it and weep, I know I did.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
My rating:
Buy it from Amazon
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