Homecoming [Paperback]

Nell Stark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 22, 2008

Love is thicker than blood.

When Yale student Sarah Storm comes out to her parents, they disown her and withdraw all support for her education. A few days later, Sarah's long-term girlfriend breaks up with her and Sarah loses everything that matters--family, future dreams, and love. Forced to leave Yale with only the contents of her dorm room and the boat of a car bequeathed to her by her grandmother, Sarah scrambles to get her life back on track at the University of Rhode Island. Burying her hurt and disappointment, Sarah throws herself into both her classes and social life. Struggling to put her last relationship behind her, Sarah dates, and frequently, but no one she meets is quite as intriguing as Rory, her new--an apparently straight--roommate. When it becomes clear that her attraction to Rory is mutual, however, Sarah begins to fear that history will repeat itself and she'll end up alone.

Will Sarah be able to put aside the betrayals of those she loved and trust again? Or will the consequences of her own coming out experience get in the way of a new chance at happiness?

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (July 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602820244
• ISBN-13: 978-1602820241
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #833,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and heartbreaking, uplifting and exhilarating, August 31, 2008

By 

B. Rabkeb (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Homecoming (Paperback)

I was delighted by this book, the second I've read from this author, and would possibly give it 4-1/2 stars. She has a definite talent at creating vivid, three-dimensional characters with clear motivations, then sticking to the rules of their psychologies as she explores the depths of their emotions. In this book she deftly wove stresses and challenges of being a college student with that of managing the drama of friends, roommates and family. The book operates on many emotional levels, from the very personal, internal journey that Sarah is on to overcome the natural fear and hesitancies that being thrown out by her family and dumped by her girlfriend cause, to the slightly larger world of the Rhode Island college campus and the student organizations Sarah joins, to the national political scale, as Sarah works with the Free Rhode Island group to prevent a proposition to define marriage as between one man and one woman, as well as prevent any civil unions, from passing.

Sarah is the emotional center of the book, with everything revolving around her and her earnest attempts to make the world a good place for herself and her friends, including a documentary Rory is making for a film class, but Rory provides an able foil, both contrasting with Sarah and complementing her as they form a bond that transcends either friendship or lust. And there are many other supporting characters as well, all well-drawn, who impact the story in meaningful ways.

This author creates compelling characters with a story to tell, who stand out as individuals, and ultimately triumph by leaning on one another. She captures both the uncomfortable and often thrilling sides of discovery one lives through in college. I would definitely recommend this book, well-paced, well-plotted, taking on some timely political issues in a personal way, but ultimately being a touching romance, and look forward to more from this author in the future.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She stole my life story!, December 22, 2008

By 

Wood Wren "Wren" (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Homecoming (Paperback)

There are some excellent reviews here of this book that pretty well sum it all up. I cannot write as well as most of these reviewers, but I did love this book. In fact, I read it twice back to back. I also must admit that this one hit pretty close to home and that I could identify with it quite closely. It was sort of creepy as I felt the author had been following me around for the last few years. Loved this book and plan to give it another read soon. Try it; I doubt that you will be sorry.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, we have a queer book that isn't depressing!, March 7, 2011

By 

Cam - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Homecoming (Kindle Edition)

Homecoming isn't exactly fine literature and i doubt it'll ever find its way to an English professor's stack of modern classics. But that's probably one of the best things about it! It's all too difficult to find a queer book that doesn't get bogged down in soul-sucking depression or gratuitous, tasteless sex scenes.

The story starts off as a total downer; Sarah Storm loses her family, girlfriend, and enrollment at Yale in one vicious swoop. But life goes on and so does Sarah. She deals with what's happened and gains a new family in the process. And she's not the only one who's life is turned upside down. Her roommate, Rory, has to deal with a few surprises of her own.

It might sound cliche, but who cares? The story is well-written, it's easy to empathize with the characters (no matter how two dimensional some of them might seem), and it's thoroughly entertaining. I devoured the entire book in one sitting because i couldn't stand the thought of having to wait until tomorrow to finish it. Now i wish i'd come across it on a rainy weekend so i could curl up with a warm blanket and give this book the attention it deserves.

On a side note- one of the book's best moments is when Rory realizes that she's "family", admits her attraction to another woman, and doesn't feel the need to label herself as gay or bisexual. When she falls in love, she falls for a person. She doesn't love Sarah because she's a woman or in spite of that fact; she just loves Sarah and everything else is pretty much just a blip on the radar.

This book isn't going to help you achieve enlightenment or rock the literary world. But what it will do is make you tingle with the warm an' fuzzies. It'll make you grumble at Sarah's parents and feel Rory's embarrassment for her karaoke-loving mom and dad. And most importantly, it'll make you smile.

So in all seriousness, grab this book, sit down in your favorite spot, and just read (and smile!).