Homesick by Silvia Saunders

I’m sent back to London with a multipack of dishcloths and a bottle of Glen’s vodka. I am restless on the train, shifting around in my seat, unable to concentrate on my book or my Zodiac Killer podcast. I unlock and lock my phone. I go to the bathroom twice, once just to clutch the edges of the sink and stare in the mirror. Me and Tom haven’t exchanged a single message all weekend. I have endless things I want to say to him, and at the same time nothing.

Back in my seat, I watch as the couple sitting opposite me hold hands in various ways. They interlock fingers, first in one direction, then the other. The woman makes a fist around the man’s thumb, twisting her fingers round and round it. They admire the way the two hands look together, hold them up to the light to better see them. They briefly let go, before touching the pads of their fingers together, one by one. I wish they were both dead.

I have known Silvia since our Goldsmiths’ days, and I’m so happy she’s the first of my pals to get a book out. Honest to god she’s a funny cow and she deserves it more than most others. I remember her work focused on the horrors of being a female in mid-twenties, her stuff always carried the sort of discomfort you’d get from the likes of Peep Show or Camping with a strong female perspective (yes, I know, Julia Davis).

Silvia not only picked up a Comedy Women in Print Prize, she also picked up a much deserved publishing deal with Harper Collins. Homesick is her first published novel and its a doozy.

[ok from this point on I should probably be professional and refer to Silvia as Saunders as though this was a Guardian/Goodreads book review.]

Homesick follows the story of Mara, who unexpectedly comes into an inheritance from her dad, giving her the chance to buy a small property in London, finally escaping from the rental market. She wants her boyfriend Tom to move in, but Tom is preoccupied with working as a newly qualified teacher and suffering from fairly intense depression. Tom needs his home in Birmingham, while Mara tries to make a home for herself with a young couple incessantly shagging upstairs, and an awkward, antisocial neighbor below. Mara’s dealing with a shaky romantic relationship with Tom (who some days struggles to even get out of bed), a strained relationship with her best friend Noor, and navigating the creepy interests of her boss at the library Derek, all while trying to figure out what home means to her.

I read Homesick in two or three sittings, the last half of the book devoured during one train journey. The short chapters at first made it hard to engage with, some of which are only a page or even a paragraph long. I felt myself resetting myself each page rather than getting stuck in. But once I had the tempo of it down it really sucked me in, and was an effective way of showing how time passes, how seasons and people change too. I initially really disliked Tom for his apparent selfishness, but was impressed how over time Saunders manages to encourage empathy for his illness and I came away understanding what Mara saw in him.

Most of the unlikable characters in Homesick have facets of likability, which is a hard thing to pull off. Especially when creeps like Derek exist. There’s a lovely twist at the end regarding Jerry, Mara’s downstairs neighbor. It was really left field but also felt like an authentic slice of East London life. People too often don’t appreciate the intricate and interesting lives of people living just below them. I liked that Mara made the effort to find that out. Tom and Mara’s relationship also develops in a convincing way, and it felt refreshing to come away from a book feeling like there wasn’t really anyone worthy of disdain, other than maybe Baz, who was a twat.

Homesick is also really funny. I mean it won a comedy prize so it ought to be at least a little bit. Much of the humour permeates through as awkward interactions, things mis-spoken, comments off-target, delivered with a straight face and a hidden cringe, which is stuff I know Saunders excels at, so was happy to see much of it survive the editor’s axe. My favourite part was when Mara had to attend to a fainting, grieving, pregnant woman and all she could think to do was soothingly spoon her Ambrosia custard. It was a definite highlight of my reading experience, and worth the admission fee alone.

Homesick is available now on Hardback, Paperback and Audiobook. Why not pick up a copy from an independent bookshop like Pages of Hackney