HOME AGAIN 2020

In this third installment of a series, a family torn apart by a radioactive disaster struggles to return to normalcy.

In previous books in this saga, Lou Matters’ family survived a ghastly catastrophe when the local nuclear plant where he worked was destroyed by a dirty bomb planted by terrorists. He suffered terrible head injuries and lost his memory, and his wife, Mary, suffered radiation poisoning. Marty and Jason, their two sons, headed north to elude the radiation and fended for themselves for months before returning home. Now, Mary has returned home to resume her work as a speech pathologist, and Lou is temporarily staying with his sister, Lenore, where he slowly recovers and studies to start a new career as a graphic designer. A major challenge to the family, as well as to the country, is the spread of Covid-19, which compels the schools to close and the boys to adapt to learning online. After Minneapolis police kill George Floyd, the nation descends into chaos, and Marty, who’s become increasingly engrossed in political affairs, looks for ways to participate in Black Lives Matter protests. This final volume of a trilogy by Roy, following Jolt (2009) and Two Close (2021), shares the scattered quality of its predecessors, often reading like a mere catalog of events, rather than a coherent story. The bland prose style also makes the work feel hastily conceived and carelessly executed. That said, Roy does win points for topicality, as she’s clearly invested in capturing the moral and cultural tumult of the present moment in American history. However, the novel as a whole doesn’t have much original insight to offer, and the meandering plot eventually proves tedious. The narrative is relatively self-contained and can stand on its own, but it will appeal most to readers who’ve already read its predecessors.

A slow novel that isn’t successful as either drama or social commentary.