Home Sick

I listened to the audiobook of Home Sick by Rhiannon Grist (narrated perfectly by Mhairi Morrison) several weeks ago as we moved our household 250 miles south to Atlanta which meant I was in the perfect mindset to relate to Tamsin, though the character is 20 years younger and lives an ocean away from me.

I've been so busy I haven't had time to collect my thoughts to write this review, but I haven't stopped thinking about the book thanks to a few creepy scenes, realistic characters, and some of my favorite horror tropes including haunted houses, eerie neighbors, and others I won't name because, to quote Doctor Who's River Song, "Spoilers."

Home Sick starts with Tamsin discovering the idyllic retreat home she purchased was not as expected. The cute cottage she bought through photos only turned out to be a duplex, and she was only getting half (and, tbh, I wasn't thrilled at hearing a "caveat emptor" type message on my way to my new townhome, so maybe that added to my immersion in the story.)

As she tries to settle in the village, she is haunted by nightmares and disturbing events in her home which even bleed out into the community, and her weird neighbor isn't helping.

As a character, Tamsin isn't always likeable and the more we get to know her, it gets somehow both easier and more difficult to sympathize with her, but that's part of why I like this novel so much. This character is real and honest.

Grist interweaves the reveals of Tamsin's past which drove her to seek this quiet life with the reveals of what's going on in the house, town, and her mind skillfully, and though we are a little ahead of Tamsin in understanding, it leads to a very satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Solaris, and RBmedia for the review copies.