I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home: A novel (Random House Large Print)

Sometime in the 1800s, a sister writes letters to a sister who died, sharing news and thoughts and speculations as though these words will be read, understood, and responded to. Centuries later, in the present-ish day, a man, Finn, faces the imminent death of his brother, waiting out his final days in hospice. Finn is also grieving the end of his long relationship with Lily, a deeply unhappy woman who has long spoken of ending her life. When a friend tells Finn that Lily has finally died, Finn is unsurprised but also overcome with grief. So it’s a surprise when he visits Lily’s gravesite and finds her there, not quite dead but not quite alive, either, smiling at him “with a mouth full of dirt.” A road trip ensues, during which Finn attempts to right the wrongs of the past and steadfastly ignores Lily’s swift and gruesome decomposition.

These two storylines–the sisters’ letters and Finn’s road trip–only minimally intersect, so any larger statement about death, grief, and the various trappings of the afterlife is left to readers to deduce. For readers who enjoy balancing on the edge of what’s real and what’s not, this novel will be a compelling ride.