The Walk Home - (Vintage International) by Rachel Seiffert (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Stevie hasn't set foot in his home town for years, and he can't decide whether to let his family--what's left of them, anyway--know he's back. He wasn't the first to cut and run--in their own ways, his mother, his father, and his uncle all fled before he did--but should he be the first to come home?

Moving between Stevie's life as a construction worker in present-day Glasgow and the story of his parents when they were young, The Walk Home is a heartbreakingly powerful novel about the risks of love, and the madness and betrayals that can split a family. Gripping, haunting and, ultimately, hopeful, here is a piercingly honest story about the journey home--and the people there waiting for you.

Review Quotes

"Against a backdrop of religious and political divisions, Seiffert's even prose is melodious." --The New Yorker

"Intelligent and sophisticated." --The Times (London)

"Seiffert continues to go from strength to strength. . . . As flinty and gritty as its characters and their vernacular. . . . Seiffert's tragedy grips while it disturbs and its emotional punch makes it worth persevering until her bitter end." --Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A sort of fictional reportage illuminating the life and work of those invisibly holding our cities together. . . . Glimpses into the new Glasgow bring both the book and the city to life." --Financial Times

"A brave, beautiful novel." --The Guardian (London)

"Seiffert's ear for speech patterns seems as excellent as you'd expect from a novelist brought up bilingually. . . . [She has a] finely tuned sense of the idea of home in all its seductiveness and fragility. . . . Written with great skill and control." --Sydney Morning Herald

"The Walk Home may take place in Glasgow, but it is universal in its narrative pursuit. And the sparse emotion of the story's ending will leave a crack in even the most impassive of hearts." --Toronto Star

"Riveting. . . . Further proof of Seiffert's enviable talents as a writer. . . . While the conflict in which her characters are trapped might be ugly, the men and women are captivating." --The Daily Telegraph (London)

"Deftly drawn and perceptively observed." --Daily Mail (London)

"An engrossing domestic drama. . . . Seiffert's writing is both tightly controlled and almost orchestral in its sweep. You feel every emotion deeply. . . . A rare novel." --Irish Independent

"Exquisitely pared down prose by a writer who really feels for her characters and the tainted lives they are living." --The Herald (Scotland)

"Deeply moving. . . . As heart-breaking as it is heart-warming, this delicate and powerful novel will stay with you long after the final page." --Irish Examiner

"Full of intelligence, heart and compassion. . . . A tale of the urban working classes; where they draw their strengths from, their history and where they find dignity. . . . Seiffert has a superb ear for language." --Scotland on Sunday

"Thought-provoking. . . . Seiffert illuminates historical and political issues through harrowing personal drama." --Publishers Weekly

"Energetic, persuasive and lively . . . Seiffert's brio and talent are once again amply on display." --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Rachel Seiffert's first novel, The Dark Room, was short-listed for the Booker Prize, won the Los Angeles Times First Fiction Prize, and was the basis for the acclaimed motion picture Lore. She was one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists in 2003; in 2004, Field Study, her collection of short stories, received an award from PEN International. Her second novel, Afterwards, was long-listed for the 2007 Orange Prize, and in 2011 she received the E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her books have been published in eighteen languages. Formerly of Glasgow, she now lives in London with her family.