You’d Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow - Book Review
(Trigger warning: addiction, drug use, mental illness, death, car accident. This post also contains affiliate links, which means that I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you)
You’d be Home Now was first published in 2021 and is Kathleen Glasgow’s third book. It’s a similar read to her previous two as it covers a variety of highly emotional themes, so please make sure that you take note of the trigger warnings before you pick it up.
Here’s the synopsis:
“For all of Emory's life she's been told who she is. In town she's the rich one--the great-great-granddaughter of the mill's founder. At school she's hot Maddie Ward's younger sister. And at home, she's the good one, her stoner older brother Joey's babysitter. Everything was turned on its head, though, when she and Joey were in the car accident that killed Candy MontClaire. The car accident that revealed just how bad Joey's drug habit was.
Four months later, Emmy's junior year is starting, Joey is home from rehab, and the entire town of Mill Haven is still reeling from the accident. Everyone's telling Emmy who she is, but so much has changed, how can she be the same person? Or was she ever that person at all?
Mill Haven wants everyone to live one story, but Emmy's beginning to see that people are more than they appear. Her brother, who might not be cured, the popular guy who lives next door, and most of all, many ghostie addicts who haunt the edges of the town. People spend so much time telling her who she is - it might be time to decide for herself.”
What I thought
Through the perspective of Emmy this book explores the opioid crisis in the US, highlighting just how many people are impacted by drug use - including young people and their families.
Personally I found Emmy’s point of view really interesting to read from. I am the eldest of four children, whereas Emmy is the youngest of two, and despite being the younger sibling, she feels a great responsibility over her older brother and is determined to keep him safe. Her family often put her in a difficult position, but I was in awe of her bravery and her determination to stand by her brother whatever happened.
I felt that the book depicted drug addiction in a very realistic way, which makes sense as it’s informed by Kathleen Glasgow’s own experiences of addiction. Joey behaves in ways that are difficult to accept, and isn’t able to recover just because he and his family want him to. Addiction is a complex illness that requires extensive support and a lifetime commitment to recovery, and I felt that the book conveyed this message very well.
While the main plot of the story centres around Joey’s drug use, Emmy also encounters her own difficulties, and I really felt for the situation she found herself in (no spoilers here).
Outside of the main characters, this book also explores what can happen to a town when its main source of industry closes. This is something that is happening around the world, and usually has dire consequences for the inhabitants of that town due to mass unemployment. This is what’s happened in Mill Haven, and it eventually becomes clear that a large portion of its population has succumbed to drug use.
Overall, I really adored this book. Like her previous two, it’s very hard hitting and emotionally raw, and I actually think it might be my favourite of hers so far.
You can buy a copy on Amazon here.