How to Find Home

by Mahsuda Snaith

Molly has lived on the streets for nearly a decade. She has close friends but spends most of her nights sleeping rough in dangerous places. So when a new acquaintance invites her on a journey across the country, she decides to go along. He is searching for treasure while she is searching for hope.

At every stop on their unusual quest, Molly senses something close behind her: the footsteps of an old enemy and the memories of a life she has tried to erase. And yet she must find the courage to continue if she’s ever going to discover a place that really feels like home.

Genres: Fiction

254 pages, ebook

Published May 23, 2019

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a random selection, mainly because I knew well the areas where it is set. It is a sort of reworking of the Wizard of Oz. It’s not a work I am familiar with, so most of the references will have gone over my head. The novel revolves around a group of homeless people, and most especially Molly who is 25 and has been on the streets for ten years. The centre of the novel is inevitably a journey. The Journey is from Nottingham (a city I know well and I lived there for some years) to Skegness. Skegness is a seaside resort in Lincolnshire and was a central part of my childhood. It has a unique ambience all its own. It does attract a significant number of homeless people, especially in winter.
Mahsuda Snaith is a writer local to me, based in the East Midlands and has written short stories and a couple of novels. She also writes for the colonial countryside project. She is a British born Bangladeshi writer, who was brought up on a council estate and has struggled with dyslexia.
The novel and the journey involves three people. Molly, her unpredictable friend Jules, the enigmatic Luca who has a sense of being on a quest and a three legged terrier called Boy. Cute dogs are always a danger in this sort of story, but it is true that many homeless people do have dogs as companions. There is also an antagonist called Rusby who pops up periodically. At one time he was Molly’s pimp and is a periodic threat of male violence.
All of the characters are vulnerable, fragile and have mental health problems. One of the themes is what home means to those who don’t have a home. This could have gone badly, but it didn’t. Snaith manages to capture aspects of the homeless life and its unpredictability. The ending is a bit neat and tidy, which for me did not reflect the chaotic lives I see amongst the homeless, but I see that Snaith is giving a sense of hope which I didn’t strongly object to. There are flashbacks which fill in the gaps in Molly’s life. I didn’t get many of the Oz references, but I am sure others will. Not bad at all.

[Lara Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOWWWWWW

This was not a light and breezy book, but it definitely was one worth reading!!

It deals with the topics of homelessness and mental heath in a very real way, and from nuerous perspectives which was extremely helpful

It was heart-warming and emotional, with characters that felt very much like real people.

The characters are really what made this book, they had so much depth of emotion and were so complex!!

Overall it was an emotional, but definitely worthwhile read!!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a review copy! All opinions are my own.

[Mommy Reads And Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a huge Mahsuda Snaith fan and loved her debut novel which I read earlier in the year. As soon as this one got published I ordered it and have finally gotten to it. This is a special book for me as it looks at some severe mental health issues (I’m a psychotherapist) and abuse. As well as homelessness and drug abuse. Ultimately though it’s tale about victory as our main character Molly goes on a journey with her new friend Luca and her street wise friend Jules. Along the way she learns more about herself and her friends. This book is a definite hard hitting contemporary novel but has the sweetest whimsical side which leaves one wondering are the things Molly sees a symptom of her mental health condition or could it in fact be magic?

[Joanna Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this wonderfully written, heart warming and emotional book. The author cleverly takes the reader on a journey alongside the characters as they discover more about who they are. It’s also a lovely exploration of what home can mean to different people.

I absolutely loved the main characters in this book who make up a rather motley crew on a journey across Britain. The author has created characters that the I easily warmed to and quickly started caring about, their individual back stories are slowly revealed so we learn more about each of them. It’s hard not to get emotional as you read about all that they’ve been through. The language the author used is quite rough and rude at times, which further makes the characters come to life as it makes it seem very realistic.

Throughout this book the author has helped give a face and a voice to the homeless, a group of people normally discriminated against. It was very emotional to read about the various attitudes people have towards them, more so as you know them to be true. The author has obviously put a lot of research into this book and it was interesting to learn about the different reasons people may become homeless.

This book is quite fast paced and has a great flow to it which makes it difficult to put down. I was soon absorbed into the story and the lives of the characters. The threat of a dangerous ex and the police plus the uncertainty of where they are going makes for an intriguing read. It definitely made me want to keep reading to find out what was going to happen.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I’m excited to read more from her in the future. I think this is an important book that everyone should read as it really makes you think and will help to challenge prejudices that people have against the homeless. I think it would make a great book club read as there is lots to discuss.

Huge thanks to Transworld publishers for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

[Crazytourists_books · Rating 3 out of 5]

A page turner, well written, with nicely presented characters, it makes you want to read more and more. The only thing I didn't like was the happy ending... Too good to be true...

[Michael Livingston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part fairy-tale (it's broadly a re-telling of the wizard of oz) and part slice of gritty regional UK life, this is a very readable book about young marginalised people's lives. It's dark, but not suffocating and there are moments of real joy.

[Jess de Vos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly really struggled to get into this book, but the last 50 pages really picked it up. I was pretty shocked by the ending, and it had a deep meaning, but other than that, the 250 pages leading up to the end just felt very forced/quickly paced I didn't make much sense.

[Sian · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to Find Home by Mahsuda Snaith was kindly gifted to me by NetGalley for an honest review. I found the concept of the novel to be so interesting, it’s inspired by The Wizard of Oz and there’s references to in throughout. It’s a story about Homelessness in the UK and follows Molly as she essentially goes on an adventure to find home and a place in the world. You can tell it is really well researched and in the acknowledgments Snaith notes the people and organizations that helped her with the research into such an important topic. I think this book really opens a discussion about homelessness and it’s a topic that should be talked about more, I actually can’t think of a book I’ve read that discusses it. Unfortunately, I had a few little issues with the book, for one I felt a bit confused about the ages of the protagonists. You get the sense that they’re all supposed to be roughly in their early twenties but they feel younger at times because of the way they act and some of the things they do. It definitely feels more like a Young Adult novel because of that and I was under the impression it was Adult or at least New Adult but I could be mistaken. I also thought that some of Molly’s flashback felt disorienting as they seemed out of place to what was happening in the present. But overall I thought the characters were interesting, and I especially loved Boy the dog! I definitely thought the novel was enjoyable, interesting and worth the read. (3.5 stars)

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful

Such a heartfelt, beautiful story. Well written, and quick to read, this book will have a lasting effect on my soul. I loved it.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Home to Find Home focuses on a small group of homeless people living in Nottingham. They group together and go in search of a new beginning in Skegness.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book about the homeless before. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions with each other, this was a book more about the characters than a big plot line. I have no idea how I had this book on my wishlist, it only has 59 good reads reviews but deserves more.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so readable and enjoyable for the most part. I wasn’t too keen on the ending really, as it felt a bit too easy and simple, and I thought all of the characters were more complex and more entertaining than their endings deserved.

[Karen Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very attracted by the title. Its contents were at times a tough read, but fettered with some real warmth. Easy to take to as set in Nottingham and Bingham. It tackled the difficult topics of homelessness and mental health in a very clever and original way.

[Elizabeth Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard Mahsuda read the first chapter as part of an Off the Shelf event in Sheffield and borrowed the book from the library. I found it thought provoking and engaging although the ending seems a bit too neat and tidy to be entirely realistic. I would rate it at three and a half stars.

[Water Moon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has moments of interesting writing and moments of dull writing. It was never consistent enough for me to feel fully invested in the story. While the plot seems to be fairly realistic in terms of what a lot of homeless people deal with, the characters seemed like caricatures of homeless people rather than fully developed characters. I wanted more depth. I could tell that the author had really tried, and yet there was nothing unexpected or original about the characterisation. The parents seemed more fleshed out than most of the main characters. And the ending left a lot of unanswered questions. Warning, this book contains some heavy subjects: child abuse, drug use, prostitution, domestic violence, homelessness.

[Simon Fung · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magical adventure through a bleak and desperate world.

Oh my, this book really hit me in the feels. The characters are very much down on their luck but are making the most of things the best that they can. You cheer for them and hope that they will get the happy ending the deserve but whole novel seems to be teetering on the edge. Written in a soft tone, which makes devastating plot points all the more devastating when they drop. This book deals tactfully with many sensitive issues such as poverty, mental illness, and trauma.

A fantastic read. I'm giving it all the stars.

[mellyreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book deals with mental health, topics of homelessness and substance abuse very well in my opinion. Not one of my favourite reads, as I found the storyline and pace to be dragging at times but overall I thought the story was touching and did feel emotional at times.

[auteaandtales · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very beautiful and sad novel. I think the lives of mentally ill, homeless POC needs to be shared more and even though this isn’t OwnVoices it’s clearly well informed and it matches the opinions of homeless, mentally ill people that I know and have known in the past. There has definitely been a lot of research gone into this. I think it tells people the insights of being mentally ill and homeless, and might help people be more compassionate about these situations rather than putting their own judgement into them.

The one thing I do have an issue with though is how suicide attempt was treated like it was a treatment for everything and how it seemed to fix her life. A lot of people that come out from suicide attempts, homeless or not, go right back into the situation that caused them to think they needed a way out in the first place. I personally think it’s a bad message to send to tell people that if you attempt a suicide your problems will be fixed, because more than likely they will not be.

I give this four out of five stars because, although I didn’t much like the ending, it was pretty good until that point.

[Sophy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really well written story about the homeless.

I think that because Mahsuda approached the protagonist's story via a series of reflective recollections as she experiences her current every day survival, the story doesn't become too harrowing to allow the characters to develop and grow. Some stories like this can become so disturbing (not unrightly) that you end up feeling mired in grief and unable to absorb the story properly.

I really enjoyed the characters, the exploration of the relationship between homelessness and mental illness, the attitude of the general public, the small kindnesses shown by people and the dreams and aspirations of all of us, no matter what our circumstances.

The story is eye-opening, original and fresh.

[Laura Boakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10 : “A brilliant novel that humanises people who are so often dehumanised” - this review from the back of the book perfectly encapsulates how I feel about this, it’s beautifully written, almost poetic in places. Molly is homeless, she’s been living on the streets for 10 years, after fleeing the house where her father abused her & her mother didn’t care. Molly longs to have a place to call home, & embarks on a journey with a stranger, Luca, & ‘best friend’ from the streets, Jules. I’ve not come across much fiction regarding homelessness, & think this is an honest, refreshing story, full of hope.

[Philippa Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

One will often pass by people living on the street and perhaps, momentarily wonder how they got there. The thought in many cases will soon move on and other thoughts will take their place. Mashuda Snaith , who wrote this moving and thought provoking story did not allow these questions to be dismissed and went on to research the plight of the homeless and the stories they had to tell.
I was left both devastated and joyous when I had finished this story. There are some very disturbing scenes that will make the reader want to put the book down but it is important to persevere and know the story of many of the people who are all too often seen only on the periphery of our lives.

[C.L. Peache · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story. This is heart breaking, inspiring and an insight into the lives of homeless people, which I’ve rarely read about in such an honest way. Well researched, and having lived in various places and known people from many different walks of life, Mahsuda captures all the characters perfectly. This story takes you on a real journey of discovery. I know all the locations in the book so well and I was quickly transported straight into the characters lives. Loved it. I wish I’d read it sooner!

[Deb Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book over a couple of days and really warmed to the characters. Whilst it dealt with homelessness and mental illness, it nevertheless always had a glimmer of hope in it.
There are a few lines in this book that really reasonated with me, especially the line “If you write your own story,you can always have a happy ending”. That’s a message of hope, if ever I read one!

[Joanne Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Standard confession - I listened to this on Radio 4. I liked it very much - a contained tale about big subjects. We see the world from one point of view, and learn much more than from any number of generalisations about homelessness. mental ill health or addiction.

[Artemis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd probably rate this higher but Richard Wagamese's Ragged Company is just such a bang up job that reflects more to me with my upbringing being in Canada.

This was human, though, and I enjoyed the read.

[Emma Plimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the best book I’ve read this year!
I couldn’t put it down!
I would highly recommend reading this, a story about homelessness and people.
I actually couldn’t tell you what made me pick it up from the library but I am so glad I did.

[Bethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been stuck in a reading rut recently but I flew through this book, read it over a couple of sittings. Beautiful, heartbreaking yet hopeful🤍

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, homeless kids on journey to recover a treasure; themes of loss, abuse, prostitution, friendship, otherness.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this in my library, loved the sound of it. It's hard hitting and full of love. Couldn't put it down. Great writing, too. Back to the library to see if they have any more of their work.