Sisters Carly and Jen feel they have no option but to run when their mother dies. Worried they will be taken into care and separated, the girls set off on a long and arduous journey to find Teddy, the one person Carly really trusts. However, Jen is less sure about what is the best thing to do and exhaustion and lack of money takes its toll on the sisters relationship. Will they make it to Teddy alive and well? And if they do, will the faith Carly has in him to be their saviour become a reality?
I've read quite a few 'walking' books recently- The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce... I do like the premise of a journey being an escape, an opportunity for self discovery, a humbling experience that makes us seem small compared to the world at large.
I found Walk Me Home really gripping to begin with, yet I felt the middle section was a bit too long and not as action packed as I'd have liked for a book of this length. I didn't warm to either Carly or Jen as characters, which meant I felt detached from them for most of the book and wasn't overly bothered about what happened to them. However, I thought the scene setting was great, and especially enjoyed meeting the wide variety of people the sisters encounter on their journey- these characters were interesting and diverse, much moreso than the protagonists.
Overall, Walk Me Home was a thought-provoking read that touches on trust, sisterhood and altruism. Suitable for young adults or adults, it will make you assess whether you can ever wholly trust anyone.
7.5/10
Walk Me Home is out now in paperback, published by Black Swan.
*With thanks to Black Swan for providing me with a review copy of Walk Me Home*
You can find out more about Catherine Ryan Hyde at her website, www.catherineryanhyde.com .
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