I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home
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Average rating3.3
'America's first lady of darkness and mirth.' Guardian 'The best American writer of her generation.' Nick Hornby 'Unmissable.' Marie Claire From one of the most celebrated imaginations in American literature, Lorrie Moore's new novel is a magic box of longing and surprise. High up in a New York City hospice, Finn sits with his beloved brother Max, who is slipping from one world into the next. But when a phone call summons Finn back to a troubled old flame, a strange journey begins, opening a trapdoor in reality. It will prompt a questioning of life and death, grief and the past, comedy and tragedy, and the diaphanous separations that lie between them all. 'Moore writes with such panache, such extraordinary perception and wit, that not a single sentence is wasted.' Elizabeth Day 'One of the most acute and lasting writers of her generation.' New York Times 'That Moore publishes so rarely is a gift in itself, because it compels you to read her over and over. . . Moore's a writer you don't quit.' Guardian 'One of the funniest writers alive.' Dave Eggers
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I'll gather more words later, but I can best compare this to the experience of watching “I'm Thinking of Ending Things” in its dark otherworldly reality-yet-is-it?-ness, but I loved it more. It's the first book I've read in a while that really did much for me emotionally.
Exploring Uncharted Territory: My Quest for a New Experience
I embarked on this reading journey with the desire to broaden my literary horizons, stepping out of my usual mystery genre comfort zone. Unfortunately, my expectations of loving or even liking this book were not met. Lorrie Moore's “I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home” proved to be a challenging read for me, and I couldn't fully connect with its narrative.
In my quest to explore diverse literary experiences, I discovered a podcast where Lorrie Moore herself discussed this novel. She openly acknowledged its departure from the conventional structure and plotlines often found in commercial novels, emphasizing the freedom that authors of literary fiction have to explore unconventional narrative approaches.
The story is set in 2016 and centers around Finn, a high school history teacher with a penchant for conspiracy theories. The novel commences with his conversations with his terminally ill brother, Max, occupying the first third of the book. The remainder of the story follows Finn on a surreal road trip with his deceased girlfriend, Lily, who has seemingly returned from the grave and is not yet ready to find her final resting place. Their interactions, often tinged with dark humor, take place as Lily undergoes decomposition before ultimately settling into her eternal rest.
Woven into the narrative are diary entries dating back to around 1870, authored by an innkeeper named Libby or Eliz. These entries provide a historical backdrop, detailing the aftermath of the Civil War, and reveal that Libby, too, engages in extensive conversations with a deceased individual.
In essence, “I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home” is an unconventional literary work that delves into themes of love, death, dying, grief, and challenges the reliability of historical accounts. While this book may not resonate with every reader, it undeniably offers a unique and thought-provoking narrative experience.
