The Way Home

From the multimillion-copy bestselling author of Waiting to Begin and Ever After comes an evocative, tender story about belonging, community, and the relationships that hold us together. What if a stranger threatened to take away a lifetime of cherished memories? Lilly-Bob loves her home by the River Thames in the heart of London. Throughout her childhood, it echoed with music and her father’s love, and for seventy years it’s been her sanctuary through a life well lived. These days, the familiar walls and treasured memories keep loneliness at bay. But for months she’s been ignoring letters from a building developer, and now a compulsory purchase scheme threatens to take her home by force. Seventeen-year-old Lilly-Bob didn’t fear change, but present-day Lilly refuses to let go. As the pressure builds, Lilly feels increasingly alone. But as her neighbours rally together, she finds herself drawn into the fold—making new friends, finding purpose, and glimpsing the possibility of something new. Torn between the comfort of the past and the call of progress, Lilly-Bob must decide: is home made of bricks and mortar, or is it a place inside ourselves?