“The Lost Journey Homeward” is a contemporary novel inspired by the well-known story of the Prodigal Son. However, in Eve Bonham’s book the prodigal is a daughter, who strays badly off the rails and the elder brother is a workaholic son, who runs a debt-ridden hotel. The father, Theo, is a successful sculptor who tries to keep his wayward children on the right path. David and Kate, the brother and sister, are living in different countries. Her life abroad has spiralled downwards; his life at home is unravelling too. They are looking for love but finding disaster. As their lives spin out of control, they ignore the one person who is waiting to help them on their separate journeys.
The story is in three parts: the first part plunges us into Kate’s dire but self-inflicted predicament and shows how she copes when she hits rock bottom. The second part is complicated by the arrival of two very disreputable but likeable characters from Kate’s murky past. The final part becomes the story of David’s epic quest to learn about the world, abandon his prejudices and find the love that eludes him. The complex plot interweaves the themes of guilt, love, deceit and forgiveness and the relationships of Theo’s protégés. The family encourage each other to hope and to discover their way ‘home’.
Excerpts from the book:
“Kate stared through the grimy window as darkness fell. She had wilfully lost her innocence and her inheritance long ago. Her health and her self-respect had gone more recently but she still had her freedom. “
“It was the music that intrigued him. Driving up the winding drive through the wood, David had become aware of it – the first sign that something extraordinary was happening. Looking up at his hotel he saw all the lights burning. There appeared to be many people inside. Why was he in the dark? He hesitated before going inside – he felt like an outsider.”
“Theo had no idea where Kate was – somewhere out there in the world unwilling, or unable, to communicate. He wondered why.”
Paperback edition and eBook available from Amazon, paperback edition from Onwards & Upwards Publishers, and to order from bookshops.