WELCOME HOME

A clinical psychologist explores trauma through an illustrated allegory in this book from Lim.

“For some, home is a refuge. For others, it’s a maze of locked doors and broken windows. A place where we spend a lifetime trying to leave,” Lim’s prologue states. With these words in mind, readers soon meet Isabel, a young woman who returns to an ominous, symbolic house haunted by a critical mother, a distant father, and oppressive cultural influences. Inside the home, Isabel encounters Crane, who helps her unpack what’s behind her perfectionism. Isabel then converses with an ox carrying heavy chains and stones inscribed with words like “duty,” “humility,” and “legacy,” representing the expectations passed down through her family. Isabel then descends into the basement, where she confronts Wolf—the embodiment of her anger—and learns that it has been trying to protect her from pain all along. Eventually Isabel gets to Rabbit, who represents her fear, and they discuss how to embrace her vulnerability. Isabel and all the creatures ascend to the rooftop garden, where they encounter the Celestial Whale, who reminds Isabel that “your healing reaches farther than you see.” Ultimately, Isabel successfully integrates the many facets of her identity, emotions, and history, recognizing that “everything held its place. Everything belonged.” Lim concludes the book with brief reflections on the existential weight we carry, the inheritance of pain, and becoming whole. The author elegantly combines allegory, therapeutic insight, and cultural reflection, while Joel Timpson’s atmospheric illustrations mirror the book’s emotional landscapes and complement the story’s symbolism. Lim makes understanding trauma accessible, and her narrative also authentically conveys the weight of cultural expectations, like how Isabel’s name, Meilin, was akin to “a family heirloom passed down like an old jade pendant: precious, but heavier than it looked.” However, readers seeking a practical guide to trauma recovery may find the book’s symbolism challenging to interpret and apply to their own lives.

A creative depiction of dealing with trauma that may be too abstract for some readers.