- When I Come Home Again by Caroline Scott -

Published : 29th October 2020

Format : Kindle, Audio, Hardback, Paperback

Genre : Historical Fiction

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Synopsis

They need him to remember. He wants to forget.

1918.In the last week of the First World War, a uniformed soldier is arrested in Durham Cathedral. When questioned, it becomes clear he has no memory of who he is or how he came to be there.

The soldier is given the name Adam and transferred to a rehabilitation home.

His doctor James is determined to recover who this man once was. But Adam doesn’t want to remember. Unwilling to relive the trauma of war, Adam has locked his memory away, seemingly for good.

When a newspaper publishes a feature about Adam, three women come forward, each claiming that he is someone she lost in the war. But does he believe any of these women? Or is there another family out there waiting for him to come home?

Based on true events, When I Come Home Again is a deeply moving and powerful story of a nation’s outpouring of grief, and the search for hope in the aftermath of war.

Thank you Anne cater and Simon & Schuster for this incredible read.

My Review

1918, A wandering soldier appears in Durham Cathedral. He is lost, confused, and can not tell the police who he is, where he has been or where he came from. Given the name "Adam" he is arrested and taken to a rehabilitation facility where James Haworth, the resident doctor attempts to help him remember who he is and what his past may have been, but the unknown soldier doesn't seem eager to find out.

When all the usual methods have been tried, tested and failed, Haworth places a photo of ‘Adam’ in the newspaper, a desperate last attempt to all the families who received the feared ‘missing, believed killed’ letters throughout the war. Not really expecting a response, instead they receive hundreds of replies all claiming that he belongs to them, that they’ve always known he was still alive out there somewhere, that they all need him.

Out of there hoards of letters three women come forward — a mother, a sister and a wife, all stating the same claim. But to whom, if any of them, does Adam truly belong with?

Grief can make people believe in the slightest of hopes if loved ones are missing and finding Adams true identity and family is looking more unlikely than they imagined.

Why I Loved It

Beautifully written and moving, this story was totally heartbreaking and I was so consumed by this story and the facts behind it that for the duration of the read, which wasn't long, was all I could think about.

Caroline Scott is an amazing author who tells a story so atmospherically that not only do you give your whole heart to the story but you also feel you are there with the characters, willing for the best outcome.

I loved that this is all based on a true story, I myself had not heard this story before and im so glad that I have had the opportunity to read this amazing tale.

Rating

★★★★★

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Meet the author

After completing a PhD in History, at the University of Durham, Caroline Scott worked as a researcher in Belgium and France. She has a particular interest in the experience of women during the First World War, in the challenges faced by the returning soldier, and in the development of tourism and pilgrimage in the former conflict zones.

Caroline lives in southwest France and is now writing historical fiction for Simon & Schuster UK and William Morrow.