Going Home

A Novel

By: Tom Lamont

Narrated by: Jot Davies

Going Home is a sparkling, funny, bighearted story of family and what happens when three men—all of whom are completely ill-suited for fatherhood—take charge of a toddler following an unexpected loss

Téo Erskine, now in his thirties, has moved on from childish things: He has a good job, a slick apartment in London, and when he heads back to the suburbs on the occasional weekend to visit his old friends, he makes sure everyone knows he can afford to pick up the tab. So what if he asks a few too many questions about Lia, the girl of their group, wondering if she will come out, if she’s seeing anyone, if she might give him another shot? Téo is hazily aware that something possibly happened between Lia and Ben Mossam, Téo’s closest friend and his greatest annoyance, but he can’t bring himself to ask. Lia, meanwhile, has no time to indulge their rivalry. She’s now the single mother of a toddler son, a kid named Joel that Téo occasionally (and halfheartedly) offers to babysit.

Téo is home for one such weekend when the unthinkable happens—a tragedy in the heart of their group—and he suddenly finds himself the unlikely guardian for little Joel. Together with his father, Vic, Ben Mossam, and Sybil, Lia’s beguiling rabbi, they bide time until they can find a proper home for Joel, teaching him to play video games, plying him with chicken nuggets and waffles, and learning to sing him lullabies at night. But when a juvenile mistake leads to a terrible betrayal, Téo must decide what kind of man he wants to be. Wise, relatable, and blissfully laugh-out-loud funny, Going Home is a captivating first novel that explores the mysterious ways children can force us to grow up fast while simultaneously keeping us young forever.

unusual story - well told and well read

This is a story about growing up - all kinds of people growing up. It's a thoughtful tale about several intertwined lives and how they are affected when a small boy is suddenly orphaned.

The characters were believable and well written, even the toddler himself who had more complexity than a stereotypical child. The story was moving and funny in places, though not really a comedy. But definitely a good tale, very expertly read. Definitely recommend it.

Great Story - Not a Comedy

Great story, skillfully done, lots and lots of layers, realistic and interesting characters with flaws who make good and bad choices, and good job on capturing childhood. You will see yourself in here at least once. I don't get the comments about comedy and laugh-out-loud funny. Sure, there's humor throughout the book in the mens' personalities and behaviors, but I expected something different based on those comments. I'd call this more of a drama than a comedy, which is not a criticism at all, just an observation. This is not Three Men and A Baby. And I love comedy in case you're wondering. I would recommend this book.

Moving but flawed but worth a listen

iI laughed and cried. Joel was a realistic lying behaving little e boy. Each character was believable and engrossing.
The writing was uneven and sometimes I'll thought out.
Joel was a delightful, adorable child. His behavior as vior was accurate- for an older child. 3 and 4 tears not 2 to 3 as written.
SPOILER ALERT:
Why would Theo be the only person to be punished? I won't go further on this.
Sometimes Theo and Ben's conversations with a toddler were too complex for him to be able to understand. particularly in the last chapter.

Great Story

Tom Lamont has taken a set of characters who deftly change from bad to good or vice versa. The language is beautiful. Listen to it!

Beautiful story; wonderful narration

The most moving book I’ve read in months. Richly drawn characters, well-plotted, fantastic. The audio narration is one of the best I’ve heard in years. I loved his character vocies, which were distinct, very corny. Excellent production all around.