On The Way Home

by Robert Bausch

Imagine the elation of having your dead son brought back to life. That is what Michael Sumner’s parents experience when, one year after he’s reported killed in action in Vietnam, they are told their son is alive and has escaped from a cadre of Viet Cong. But reunited with his family in their new Florida home, Michael has become a stranger to them, and soon living with him becomes more difficult than having him dead. Attempting to break into his suffering and get him back, fearful he may turn to violence, his parents suspect the worst when a young woman who has befriended Michael abruptly disappears

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1982

About the author

Robert Bausch was a college professor and novelist in Virginia.

Reviews

[Sam A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very moving story of a POW of the Vietnam War and his attempt to recover from the trauma of his imprisonment. This is not only the story of his struggles but that of his parents' attempt to overcome the growing strain on their own troubled relationship.

[Elizabeth Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

A master work. The Vietnam War as Greek tragedy. Written 25 years ago, it is a juggernaut of pain, a crushingly intimate journey into the agonies of war, of warriors, and the savage, swirling, healing potential of love.

[TurtleneckGirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story will stay with me for a long time, -it is an exquisitely rendered telling of the after-effects of war upon a young soldier and his parents. First published in 1982, this is Bausch's first novel and a fine example of his clean and evocative style.