Book review: Homecoming - Luan Goldie

Title: Homecoming
Author: Luan Goldie
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Description:
For years Yvonne has tried to keep her demons buried and focus on moving forward. But her guilt is always with her and weighs heavily on her heart.

Kiama has had to grow up without a mother, and while there is so much he remembers about her, there is still plenty he doesn't know. And there's only one person who can fill in the gaps.
Lewis wants nothing more than to keep Kiama, his son, safe, but the thought of Kiama dredging up the past worries Lewis deeply. And Lewis doesn’t know if he’s ready to let the only woman he's ever loved back into his life.

When Kiama seeks Yvonne out and asks her to come with him to Kenya, the place that holds the answers to his questions, she knows she can't refuse. And this one act sets in motion an unravelling of the past that no one is ready for.

Moving between London and Kenya, and spanning almost two decades, Homecoming is a profound and moving story of love, family and friendship. It's about coming to terms with your past, opening yourself up to the exquisite pain and pleasure of love, and of what happens when three lost souls, all bound by one person, come together and finally share their truths.

My opinion:
Kiama is an 18 years old man living with his father Lewis. His mother Emma has died tragically when he was 8. Since then Kiama suffers with night terrors.

He thinks that he can get rid of them if he goes back to Kenya and understands what's happened years ago. The boy thinks that his mum's old friend Yvonne is the perfect travel partner. She agrees to do it out of guilt and that's where the story begins.

I had really high expectations about this book. I'm a somehow disappointed. The whole story was really predictable in my opinion. There was a secret, no doubt about it but I feel the whole thing needed a bit more excitement.

The thing that I really loved about the book was the realness of the characters. It's like I was reading about the people that I could know. The relationship between Levis and his son is something I enjoyed the most. It was really heartwarming.
Returning to the homeland was interesting as well, I always enjoy discovering new cultures and food through the pages of the book.

I'm sure there is a lot of people who will enjoy this kind of contemporary story. Personally I need a bit more action. I'm definitely curious about Luan's debut novel “Nightingale Point” and I'll check it out if I get a chance.