Reviewed by Emma Crowley
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?
Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for my copy of When I come Home Again to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
When I Come Home Again is the second novel from Caroline Scott and it is equally as impressive as her debut The Photographer of the Lost. This is a haunting, atmospheric read rich in detail and description that will have you gripped as the emotions rise to the surface as the powerful story develops. Caroline examines how soldiers returning from the first World War were emotionally and sometimes irreparably damaged by their experiences of war and how this affected their loved ones. The story was executed and developed perfectly from beginning to end as you are drawn right in from page one and the grasp and spell this book casts over you does not relinquish its grip until the very last page.
As with her previous book the entire time as you are reading you are just desperate for concrete answers to so many questions just as the characters are. But Caroline does not reveal these until the last possible minute and even then you are left stumped in a way because what you had been desperately hoping would be revealed often does not happen. You never quite know how this authors books will conclude and even though things don’t always work out the way you wish them to there is still that sense of satisfaction that the right ending has been chosen and for the right reasons. That it fits with the overall themes of the book and the way the story developed.
When I Come Home again has an intriguing opening as a soldier who does not know his name or his regiment stumbles into Durham Cathedral. He has lost his identity for some unknow reason. Is he a deserter? What trauma could have befallen him? How has he come to be in this place? An incident occurs and he is arrested and given the name Adam, it is clear Adam is not well and needs help. In steps James Haworth who works with a Dr. Shepherd. They specialise in mental illnesses and Adam is taken to what some would call an institution for rehabilitation but to James it is more of a care home. James too has suffered in the war and he feels he can help people who have had similar experiences to him. He becomes a confidante, a support and a guardian to Adam as he tries to unlock the secrets that Adam holds deep inside his mind. There are glimpses of the old Adam which when pushed under hypnosis he scrambles to grasp at but throughout the book his mind is more or less firmly closed to what happened to him and who he actually he is.
To be honest this was really frustrating. I as a reader, and the people involved with Adam, desperately wanted answers and fast but that was not to be the case. So many times as various people step forward claiming to be related or connected to Adam you feel the truth is within touching distance but then with a turn of a page your hopes or suspicions are dashed. I am someone who likes solid evidence and answers but I suppose the book wouldn’t have had the effect that he had on me if everything was plain sailing and straight forward. In this respect the author deftly wove a story of trauma, loss, grief, love, heartache and one of redemption and forgiveness.
Adam is trying to find his way back to his own life but this is not an easy path to tread as he has many demons to battle as does James. His attention to detail and love of nature and drawing offer some clues to his background but these are all tantalising hints that lead the team no further to the truth. Has he good reason to forget his identity and past? Is he not a good man? What if he does not like the person he once was and more importantly what if he has done something truly terrible? There are places in his mind he does not wish to visit no matter how pushed he is yet I wanted him to be pushed further in order to reach the truth. But this cannot be rushed and as his rehabilitation is a very slow process the tone and pace of the book takes on this same pace. This could have led to the book becoming very slow, boring and reptitive but instead it all felt very natural. I came to realise that answers and healing take time and even then you can be left wondering and searching for a definitive conclusion and even if that is reached it many not always supply you with want you wanted to hear or believe.
James has his own nightmares with regard to the war. He is haunted by the fact he does not know for sure what happened to his wife Caitlin’s twin brother Nathaniel. Chapters from his perspective at times take us back to the war and this helps us understand what James went through and to comprehend that really he hasn’t faced up to things at all. These scenes were incredibly detailed and at times hard to read given what was unfolding and the fact that this was happening all over the world on a daily basis and that so many men were left scarred and traumatised. Today one would hope that men returning from war are better understood and that more help can be given to them but over 100 years ago there was not the knowledge or understanding that we have today but still the best was done that was possible.
When Adam is photographed for a piece on unknown soldiers many women step forward claiming to be connected to him and a circus of sorts begins as the truth is desperately sought. It was heartbreaking to read of so many people thinking that Adam was their lost loved one and in their minds they firmly believed that this was the case. It’s hard for us in this modern world to comprehend that people can become unknown and their identities not easily confirmed. Three women are focused on claiming that Adam is theirs and they seem so firm and steadfast in this belief. The book is written in such a way that the reader too believes that all three could possibly be the family that Adam has forgotten and disconnected himself from.
Anna Mason is searching for her husband Mark, Celia Dakers is still so sure that her son Robert will come back to her and when she meets Adam her belief is only further strengthened and Lucy Vickers can’t quite come to terms that her brother Elis is dead but when she sets eyes on Adam she knows that he has returned. Which if any of the three are correct that Adam is their lost loved one returned from hell but yet not the same person that left them? I could identify with all three women and as their belief stood firm that Adam was their lost one I believed it too but yet my opinion of who was actually connected swayed back and forth and that was simply because the writing of Caroline Scott was so convincing. Every argument and situation put forth I believed in and could see valid points for but still I was hoping there would be plenty of twists and turns before I reached the end of what was proving to be an immensely gripping read which leaves you deep in thought but filled with admiration for what individual soldiers and their families had to go through both during and after the war.
I really enjoyed When I Come Again although, given the subject matter and the emotions it stirs in you, maybe enjoyed is not the correct word but none the less this is another excellent read from Caroline Scott and it cements her place as a historical fiction author who treats her subject matter with such tenderness, care and compassion and writes beautiful , heart breaking and important stories about war and its long last impacting lest we should forget. It’s definitely a read that I would recommend and that ending will stay with me for a long time to come.
Thanks for the blog tour support Emma and Sharon x
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