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In 1983, Becks is grieving the loss of her uncle. He understood her. They bonded on computer games and coding. Now she’s stuck with her mom, who definitely does not understand her, and is having to watch her grandmother lose her memory. She has a best friend, but that relationship is complicated.
In 2586, middle-aged Yesiko is the captain of the boat she grew up on. Her parents are both gone now, and her only company and help on the boat is Root, an older man who’s been around as long as she can remember. They’re living in a world vastly different from the one we know today; much is under water, and people seem to be grouped in clans. Most are simply surviving.
In between these years, readers meet a scientist who lives about a hundred years from now, who is working with a group of robots. We learn about one robot who somehow becomes more “alive” than the others in the group, and what that robot goes on to do. And we go along for the ride when that robot and two young people cross paths with Yesiko.
These people (and robot/being) and times are tied together by a game that Becks works on, Homebound. Her uncle began the story and left the game on floppy disks for her to complete. It gives her purpose and eases some of her loneliness, and as others interact with it in some ways in the future, it does the same for them.
The way Homebound is structured reminds me of Cloud Atlas, where a number of stories from different eras are tied together loosely. The points of view of this novel move back and forth more frequently, though, and I could feel much more clearly (by the end) how they’re connected.
I wasn’t quite sure where the book was going at times, but I was engaged in each part, in the experiences of each person. By the conclusion, I felt the emotional payoff, in just the right amount, of seeing growth, self-discovery, and purpose. A lovely book.
Rated: High. Profanity includes 12 uses of strong language, a couple of instances of moderate profanity, a couple of uses of mild language, and a few instances of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content includes some kissing, including same-gender, and just implied sex. There are some instances of violence and peril, though not gory.
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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
