Going Home

by Tom Lamont

Boy-made-good Téo Erskine is back in the north London suburb of his youth, visiting his father - stubborn, selfish, complicated Vic. Things have changed for Téo: he's got a steady job, a brand-new car and a London flat all concrete and glass, with a sliver of a river view.

Except, underneath the surface, not much has changed at all. He's still the boy seeking his father's approval; the young man playing late-night poker with his best friend, unreliable, infuriating Ben Mossam; the one still desperately in love with the enigmatic Lia.

Lia's life, on the other hand, has been transformed: now a single mum to two-year-old Joel, she doesn't have time for anyone - not even herself.

When the unthinkable happens, Joel finds himself at the centre of a strange constellation of men - Téo, Vic, Ben - none of whom is fully equipped to look after him, but whose strange, tentative attempts at love might just be enough to offer him a new place to call home.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Family, Audiobook, British Literature, London

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 6, 2024

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Going Home" was a revelation for me: a debut novel that is funny, smart, poignant, and tender -- without EVER becoming mawkish or sentimental. A London mom in her early thirties kills herself, leaving behind a 2 and 1/2 year old boy and NO clue who the father is. Can two of her male friends, one of the mate's elderly father, and a female rabbi care for the boy until social services can find the biologic father or (at least) a foster home? This novel is reminiscent of the wit and irony that marks the best of Nick Hornby, the insight into "youngish" adults of Sally Rooney, and the melancholy of Claire Keegan. Mark your calendars: this gem arrives in January 2025.

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not wait to read this book. Somewhere I learned that the main character, Teo’s, father had Parkinson’s Disease, like my dad, and I knew I had to read it. It ended up being such a refreshing and unexpected story.

Teo is in his thirties, living in London, pining after a woman, Lia, who has a young son. Things just aren’t quite right for Teo. He wants more. A tragedy happens, and suddenly Teo is now responsible for Joel, Lia’s son. Along with his dad and some of his friends, he cares for Joel.

I can’t believe this was a debut. It’s so full of heart and wholly original. It’s a story of growing up- at any age, at any time in life. It’s also about retaining that child-like sense of wonder. I really enjoyed it!

I received a gifted copy.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Claire Fuller]

On one of his regular weekend visits to his elderly father, Vic in Enfield, Téo suddenly finds himself swept into a different and unexpected family dynamic. Told in four voices: Téo, best friend Ben, Vic, and the new local Rabbi, Sybil, this debut is bittersweet and moving. Joel, the four-year-old we hear from briefly at the very beginning, jumps off the page, and is funny and charming, and I just want to hug him. Wonderful! It's hard to review this without giving too much away but I highly recommend it as a story about male friendship and what it means to be a father.

[Jan Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't remember where I read the review. Had to wait a while for it to come through at the library, and by then I'd forgotten.

After the first 50 or so pages I thought this one would suffer the fate of the last novel the library had made available for my inspection. Maybe the Britishisms, or maybe the first character came off a little flat, although I didn't know him yet (because I didn't know him yet?). And the book hadn't yet got properly started.... Then something flared and caught.

This is a romance, that is, if one can imagine the love interest as an almost three-year-old boy whose care must appeal to two 30-ish-year-old men. Yes, you heard right: taking care of him is what has to appeal to them, as in raising him.

And happen it does, to these guys who might as well be overgrown boys themselves. How does it happen? Guilt? The transfer of affections?

I enjoyed the way the book communicates without saying too much. For example, lets the reader know effortlessly that this actually is not a matter of a good guy and a bad guy....

Eventually, I'm almost crying while reading.

When done and had moved on to the next book, I missed reading it.

Bittersweet.

Thanks are due to the library.

[Alena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm honestly not sure what to say about this book. I really loved it but honestly not sure who I might recommend it to.
It's very British - filled with all sorts of slang and a tempo that feels BBC.
It's sad - involving suicide and a child in need of love and commitment.
It's about male friendship - IMO we need more books about young men and the way(s) they bond which is so physical and their way of leaving so much unsaid. It's tricky to navigate in novel form and Lamont does an excellent job.
It's linear in format following 4 main characters, plus a young boy, over the course of a rough year but not much "happens." It's more about what characters are feeling and thinking.
The ending - I loved its honesty but I fear many will be left hanging.
One of those books that I will treasure for its very unique appeal.

[Aoife Cassidy McM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going Home is the debut novel by Guardian journalist and writer Tom Lamont, and it’s a charming, bittersweet tale set in a jewish community in Enfield, North London about fatherhood, friendship, faith and grief. (The book uses the lower case for jew and jewish throughout hence me using it here).

Thematically it reminded me of About a Boy by Nick Hornby, albeit without the music (it’s completely absent of music actually, riffing on this very fact during one scene) but it has the same London vibe and gentle wit. Scene-stealing Joel, the child at the centre of the novel is impossibly cute and lovable.

Téo lives a self-contained life in central London, away from his ailing father Vic and his friends who still live in his home suburb of Enfield. He’s on a visit home one weekend when something happens that results in him having to stay and take care of 2 year old Joel, the son of his friend Lia.

Completely unprepared for caring full-time for a toddler, Téo muddles through with the support of his well-intentioned, fumbling father and local new rabbi Sybil, and despite the chaotic influence of his oldest friend Ben who goes on his own journey in the book.

A gorgeous story about just doing the right thing, and finding a way to help others do the right thing, Going Home feels real and true in a way that many books don’t.

Going Home was a Guardian and Economist book of the year, and an Observer debut novel of the year for 2024. It was published last summer in the UK but it’s out in the US this week (January 2025). 4/5 ⭐️

*Many thanks to Sceptre Books/Hodder Books for the arc via @netgalley. As always, this is an honest review.

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one takes your heart apart and gently begins to tether it together again, as four folks each find their hearts given over to a toddler, Joel, who upturns their lives and binds them together for better and worse.

Teo and Ben were school chums with Lia, Joel’s mom, in the London suburb of Enfield. They grew apart, as schoolmates do. Teo, the steady, reliable, rule-follower moved off to the city, returning only once a month to visit his widowed & ailing dad Vic and catch a weekend poker game with his old friends. Lia, the only girl in their crew, still fiery & clever but alone in her lifelong struggles with depression and now as a single parent. Ben, the party boy athlete with no need to work, living in the suburban mansion vacated by his parents years ago while they travel the world. Joel needs them all, plus the new rabbi Sybil.

The characters in this story are all imperfect people, expertly & deeply rendered. They fail themselves and each other at least as often as they come through. This debut novel is beautifully written and captures (with nary a cloying moment) the awfulness & awesomeness of how a little boy needing you will rock your world.

I received my copy of this book through a GoodReads giveaway, and that did not the least bit influence this review.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. I did not love this as much as I expected to. There is some lovely writing, beautiful observations about children and caring for children. However I found Joel’s way of speaking to be odd and not very believable. I knew we’d come to a reasonably happy ending, but I found it less than satisfying

[Breda Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a slow book definitely not a page turner. But a beautiful story with real, complex characters. It wasn’t syrupy at any point. The perspective change was done brilliantly and always at the right time. All the characters grew and changed as the story went on. Beautiful book.

[Bobby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded down because of the ending.

Thanks to the author Chris Bohjalian for his review of this book as I otherwise never would have picked it up. His glowing review made me check it out from the library and boy am I glad I did.

This is a story about a man who has moved from a small home in a suburb of London to the city itself as soon as he was able to find a job in the city and could afford to. He visits home about once a month to visit his dad, completely obligatory, and hang out with his friends, and in particular a woman who he grew up with and believes he loves. A tragic event happens during this specific trip and lives are forever changed. Some lives are lost and must be rediscovered and made anew as must some relationships. Through beautiful prose you are made to see the domino effect one single action can have on a community of people. In my mind I always picture it as dropping a pebble into water and watching the ripple effect as the concentric circles widen. Because in my mind a single individual is essentially a pebble in the larger scheme of things, but that pebble can upend worlds.

This book connected emotionally with me in so many different ways. It deals with depression (referenced in the book as “the black” which I found beautiful in a way), trying to understand depression, fathers and sons, responsibility, adulthood, friendship, and faith.

The reason for the half star subtraction is simply that I thought the book wrapped up a little too quickly. I wanted a bit more time with the characters, but that also shows how much I enjoyed the experience.

[jocelyn • coolgalreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so cute. joel 🥺🥺🥺

[Erica Luo]

This book grew on me even though it suffers from manic pixie dead girl trope and the one living female character is 1. Hot but she isn’t aware of it and 2. Finds herself inexplicably attracted to the playboy character (oh NO who could’ve possibly seen this one coming?)

[Anya Kaplan Hartnett - AKH! · Rating 5 out of 5]

picked this book exclusively because of polar bear on cover. did not disappoint but could have been more directly polar bear related? idk

[Linty · Rating 3 out of 5]

- teo returns to his hometown for a weekend visit, where he offers to babysit his childhood friend's son, joel. but then his childhood friend kills herself, and teo, his friend, ben, his father, vic, and their rabbi, sybil, become involved in joel's life, serving as his guardians
- um idk. my overall impression of this is that i was just terribly, terribly bored for the middle 50-60%
- really not much was happening. i could not tell you what happened at all.
- i did like the beginning tho and the end made me cry. great ending.
- but the middle!!! a slog.
- i also kind of had a hard time connecting to the characters and thought 4 perspectives over 290 pages was just too many for the length
- idk maybe i'm just not at the right stage of life for this book to be as moving as it seems to be for a lot of other reviewers.


**thank you to goodreads and the publisher for the arc!**

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

A poignant, bittersweet tale of Teo, a young, single London guy who’s kind of developmentally stuck in adolescence—craving his dad’s acceptance, playing poker with his much cooler and well-to-do pal, and still crushing hard on the same girl he’s longed for since his teens. But that girl, Lia, is now the single mom of toddler Joel, and when she asks Teo to watch her little boy for her, Teo unexpectedly finds himself responsible for a toddler without the least idea of what he’s doing or even any certainty that he wants to be doing it. A very touching story of three inept men—and a female rabbi—figuring it out, building a network of care, and welcoming love into their lives. I’m making it sound maudlin, I think, but it’s lovely and unsentimental.

[Kip Kyburz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart-wrenching, but ultimately uplifting, portrait of 4 people in a year of transformation. After a tragedy, a community develops to care for 2-year-old Joel. With highly nuanced characters, we watch the growth that blossoms from disaster.

[Itzy Morales · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this so bad because the premise sounded great, but it was boring and painfully dull.

I was rooting for Téo but the author, like everyone else in this book, is just obsessed with Ben. I understood that Ben had to grow up but the way they went about it, I didn’t care for. I feel for the relationship between Téo and Vic. It’s sad but incredibly realistic. Just like before Joel came into the picture, Téo is always second best to Ben.

This would’ve done better if it was an A24 film rather than a book.

[Frannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come si diventa dei bravi genitori?

Quando torna nel piccolo sobborgo di Enfield e accetta di fare da babysitter al figlio di Lia, amica d’infanzia di cui è da sempre infatuato, Téo non può immaginare che lei stia per togliersi la vita.
Eppure Lia non c’è più e in mancanza altri parenti prossimi, è lui, un 30enne assai restìo a buttarsi nei rapporti umani, a dover fare da tutore a Joel, che invece è un concentrato di vitalità di appena 2 anni e mezzo.
Ma Téo non è il solo a cui il bambino svolterà la vita: c’è suo padre Victor, vedovo che affonda nelle nebbie della malattia; c’è la rabbina Sybil, capo della comunità in prova ma con credenze non convenzionali; infine c’è Ben, l’amico di Téo più narcisista ed egocentrico.

Tom Lamont è un giornalista britannico di fama e questa è la sua prima prova narrativa. Da una scrittura così articolata e brillante non si direbbe, vero?
Infatti non troviamo né banalità né voli pindarici in questo libro che potrebbe scadere facilmente nel melenso e nel patetico, ma racconta invece una storia vera e profonda.
Spesso le relazioni umane non provengono da legami di sangue, ma si instaurano accidentalmente e sono comunque relazioni durevoli, che poggiano sulle fondamenta della cura reciproca, dell’affetto e della sensibilità.

Ma non pensiate che Tornare a casa parli solo di paternità alternativa. Oltre alle famiglie per scelta, si affrontano il lutto, il progressivo invecchiamento, la malattia e tutte le sue degenerazioni più detestabili.
Si parla per una volta di amicizia maschile senza machismi e rigurgiti tossici, ma con genuinità e sentimento e si mostra come due ragazzi pressoché opposti possano crescere insieme, supportarsi e imparare ad essere dei bravi genitori.
E infine, si parla anche di depressione, quella che, come scoprirà Sybil dialogando con Lia, non si lascia sopraffare da un ragionamento sagace. Grande delicatezza e rispetto anche nell’affrontare uno degli argomenti tabù ancora oggi.

Forse era prevedibile, ma ve lo confermo: è un libro intimo, lucido ma anche tenero e commovente. E va proprio detto, di quelli che scaldano il cuore.

Hai paura, Téo
Paura di cosa?
Di amare il bambino? Di essere vulnerabile perché lo ami?

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-3.75 stars
I received a copy of this novel in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very uniquely written novel that won't be for everyone, but I very much enjoyed it. It is the epitome of showing the reader the story, and not telling them a thing. Trigger warnings: suicide, orphanages, deserting parents, ailing/sick parents.

Teó has left the town he grew up in and mostly all of the people as well, which include his longtime friend Lia, whom he always harbored a not-so-secret crush on, and his best friend, Ben, the one with whom he was eventually supposed to leave town when they grew up but then left solo, and his father Vic, a widower who now suffers from Parkinson's disease. Teó rarely comes home to visit, but this time when he does, Lia asks him to watch her young son, Joel, for the night, to which he happily agrees. It is the last time either of them sees Lia alive. Joel becomes Teó's long-term responsibility, which he doesn't want, yet his father encourages.
This is a story that really fleshes out male relationships in many forms and does a great job with it, specifically father/son and the dynamic of that at all different ages, and male friendships. It shows the quiet way men deal with things, along with the competitive nature of those relationships and unspoken resentments.
I found the character of Sybil, the new Rabbi in town, somewhat unnecessary, but primarily because I didn't think the religious aspect of the story and the Jewish heritage of the characters had any true relevance. It just seemed tossed in and almost distracting to me.
The real loss of stars goes to the character of Joel, the young child (age 2) in the story, who was written unrealistically. He acts like a 4-5 year old child outside of his annoying speech patterns and the fact that he wears nappies. I have 4 boys and can assuredly tell you that 2-year olds do not have extensive & intricate detail oriented play, do not know how to set the table without help, are not going to make comments that grown ups are "taking a long time" and aren't going to be ok with 3 cheeseburgers over the zoo (and cheeseburgers are still going to be cut up into bite sized pieces at this age anyway).
I found these things annoying, but overall, this is a very heartfelt story that is slow-moving but highly character-focused, focusing on relationships not often dealt with in novels. It is very realistic in its portrayal of these relationships and highly thought-provoking.

[Lee Collier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to say thank you to Knopf publishing for sending me a copy of this novel post publication and so thankful to have finally gotten around to reading.

I have wanted to read this for some time. Something about the cover that just struck me and after reading, the picture is so perfect carrying a deep meaning highlighted in one segment between our young orphan Joel and Téo, his new interim guardian. If you read this book, I encourage you to keep ears open for the segment about a bear and let me know if you agree.

As briefly stated, Joel, a 3 year old being left behind by his mother Lia who has committed suicide, is left in the care of Téo, her lifelong friend and current bachelor. The book centers around Téo and three additional characters who all care for Joel in differing ways. We have Vick, Téo's father, an elderly man who has found joy in the company of youth with Joel in their safekeep, Ben, Téo's close mate who was also great friends with Lia and a Sybil, a local Rabbi.

This book will pull at your heartstrings as it unpacks a difficult triangle of affairs steeped not only in romance but also religion. I really appreciated how tight nit this story was and how the author explored themes of Judaism and how they related to the characters in a really special way. I also appreciated the fact that fluff was at a minimum. It felt like every chapter, which oscillated between our characters, felt important to everything proceeding it, ultimately boiling to a really moving conclusion.

I left this novel feeling as though all elements were tied up but I have seen a few others say otherwise. In my opinion, this is a complicated story of newfound parenthood, loss and the uncovering of histories. Although sometimes deeply sad, this would make a great vacation read as it is gripping and short enough to complete in a long weekend. Knowing this is a debut, I am excited to read more by this author in the future!

[Matt Bender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going Home is a rare novel about modern fatherhood: the ways that it profoundly changes every relationship in a parent’s life and the ways of adapting to a child and the world. It’s also a tragic story about the difficulty of being a guardian and the ways people respond to grief and responsibility. The story follows childhood friends, Teo and Ben, who must react to suddenly becoming a father (in different ways) and confront what this means for their self-image and lifestyle. Teo in particular is well drawn, and, perhaps most surprisingly Joel, a 2-3 year old child, is a fully developed character. There is also Vic, Teo’s frail father who adds layers to the story about fatherhood and its shape and dependency in old age.

Lamont does an excellent job exploring common male methods for guarding against sentimentality and anxiety. His work is one of the best jobs of any contemporary writer deconstructing the ways men relate to friends, children, romantic interests, their own fathers, and themselves—in particular his use of subtext in the novels dialogue is subtle but extremely effective.

This is an excellent novel. It is also the only novel by a male author I’ve read recently that intelligently explores relatable problems and relationships without resorting to caricature or apocalyptic prose.

[Antonella Montesanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gran bel libro.
Una storia toccante, commovente, delicata e con un pizzico di ironia che non guasta mai.
Raccontato a capitoli alternati, che ruotano attorno ai quattro personaggi principali, Téo, Vic, Ben e Sibyl.
Tema preponderante la famiglia, i legami familiari, il senso di appartenenza, le varie sfaccettature che la parola famiglia può assumere o significare.
Legami che si costruiscono attorno ad un vuoto esistente e vanno via via rafforzandosi.
Personaggio indiscusso e a cui si finisce per voler un mondo di bene il piccolo Joel, capace di smuovere sentimenti forti anche negli animi più insensibili.
Scritto molto bene e assolutamente consigliato.

[Kelly Kirch · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY GOODNESS, what a rather short, but powerfully insightful book about life, love, parenting, childhood, friendship, faith, and death. A lot, a lot, a lot covered in less than 300 pages. Tom Lamont has written just a heart-wrenching, beautiful book. His characters are multi-dimensional, broken, and just simply lovely to follow through the span of a year and its seasons, literal and figurative. The aspect of proxy parenting in the book and who with which the final responsibility will fall is intriguing, because as a parent of four grown children, I have come to realize that ALL different types of people should all play a part in raising a child including as many generations of family as are available and in whatever capacity they can contribute, neighbors, friends of parents, and any other mentors from a faith and/or educational background. This novel is so, so good and perfect in its telling of human imperfection and its impact on our relationships and the next generation of likewise imperfect humans!

[Ava MacBlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

did not expect this little gem to knock me out. what an impressive debut. so solid. a lot more I could say but I think you should just read it.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three young adults rise to the occasion when a friend’s baby needs them to.

[Liv Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last 1/3rd of this book is responsible for 2/3 stars… Wouldn’t recommend but liked it enough to finish it?

[Bill Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Another book (at least in part) about male friendship that left me thinking, with friends like these, who needs enemies? And why is it always that the good guys finish last? For a book that is advertised as uplifting and heartwarming, it left me with a decidedly sour taste in my mouth.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Richard Morrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Téo has returned home from London to see his sick father and friends from school but everything changes very quickly and suddenly there’s a two year old boy who needs looking after. A novel about fathers who are trying to do their best, even when they are completely out of their depth; and a novel about sons who have to learn to see their fathers as flawed men who need both kindness and support in their efforts. The novel shows the impact a small child can have on someone’s life, forcing them to grow up and opening their hearts to love. At times ‘Going Home’ is sad, others it’s funny while all along it is a debut novel filled with heart.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave up on this when I realised I was only half way through and had been struggling to keep going back to it. The story and characters had promise and it felt like it should have been good, but it was so boring and slow in style I didn't care about anyone and lost the will to live.