Somewhere Never Home: Healing the Labels of Privilege

by Peter Sykes

Somewhere Never Home is the story of a childhood lived everywhere and nowhere. Moving between Scotland, Africa, the Caribbean, and an abusive English boarding school, Pete grew up a classic Third Culture adaptable on the surface, fractured underneath. What looked like privilege hid the early wounds of emotional abuse, institutional harm, and the long shadows of Boarding School Syndrome and cPTSD.

In adulthood, he built a life that appeared successful—Cambridge, the BBC, Unilever, and years on the frontlines of humanitarian crises—while privately unravelling through addiction, heartbreak, and burnout.

Told with honesty, wit and hard-won hope, this memoir explores the invisible legacies of TCK life and boarding school survival, and the long, slow work of recovery. It’s a book for anyone who has spent years ignoring or running from their past, and is ready, finally, to come home to themselves.

Kindle version is free on the first day of every month.

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 19, 2025

About the author

Peter Sykes is a retired consultant surgeon and former NHS Trust medical director, awarded for leadership in medical management. In retirement, he enjoys gardening, golfing, and time with his grandchildren—often humorously grumbling that “things ain’t what they used to be.”

Reviews

[Christy Carmean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heavy story of a TCK who grew up without the support and love that he needed. Highly recommend reading the summary before you start as a trigger warning because this book is filled with many things that should never happen to kids.
But, there is hope and the author has done the slow work of fighting for recovery and life.
I received an advance reader copy for my honest review.