I have read a lot of overwhelming positive reviews of this book, and whilst I don’t disagree with them, I was not as captivated as I hoped to be. I have recently finished another novel written in a similar style (Only Child) and perhaps it is unfair to read the two so close together. This novel came up just slightly short of that. The narrative perspective certainly made some of the issues tackled even more poignant however, I was far more engaged by the main family unit tha the problems of the narrator’s friend. Certainly a lot of issues to discuss and I’ sure it would raise a number of engaging points for book club discussions, but I just felt it lacked the emotive pull I was expecting. The fact that I skimmed through the last pages is telling. Clearly a novel many will love, for me, there was just that certain something missing.

A story told from a four year old's perspective. I found it upsetting and it left me feeling very uncomfortable

This is a beautifully written book. The narrator is 4 year old Jesika and the story is told from her perspective. There are some really harrowing issues dealt with. This makes it hard to read in places. The issues are handled really well and sympathetically. I laughed and I cried at this book. It is a pull at the heartstrings read that I would highly recommend.

Heartbreaking but compelling! Told through the eyes of Jesika, aged 4, this story is overwhelming! I literally couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. This book will stick in my mind for a long time

What does the word “home” conjure up for you? For four year old Jessika Petrowski, this book’s narrator and star, it's less about bricks and mortar and more about those she has given her heart to. Despite her fractured life experiences, her sense of home and family remain strong.

She lives in a dilapidated flat with her single-mother, Tina, and younger brother, Toby. They are plagued by damp and mould. While Jessika play with the “moles” on the walls, Tina and Toby have to be hospitalised with chest infections. Unfolding circumstances are strange and confusing to her.

The adults who step in to take care of Jessika are a poor substitute for her own family. With her stability and routine shattered, she is subject to stress that manifests itself in fighting to achieve a sense of normality. Life is suddenly scary and events soon reveal that she cannot fully trust all the adults stepping in to take care of her.

The longing to see her family intensifies and she will not be satisfied until they are reunited again. Poverty itself is no huge obstacle from Jessika’s perspective. She cares far more about family, friendship and issues of love and trust than she does about the way they have been forced to live.

This is a riveting, highly recommended and heartrending read that doesn’t avoid life’s hardships and dark side but focuses most on adjusting to them. Because, seen through a young child's eyes, the bare necessities that make up a home and family become the key components of personal happiness. And that’s true for the rest of us, no matter what our circumstances might be.

This is a heartbreaking ache of a book: it explores some harrowing themes, opens doors to experiences we should all be aware of, and is gripping and terrifyingly tense. But there’s a joy glowing at the heart of Home that elevates it above your average tear-jerker or page-turner. A joy that belongs to four (and-a-half) year-old Jesika.

The story is told through little Jesika’s eyes. Words and facts are presented as she perceives them, rather than how they are. So the ‘mould’ on the wall becomes ‘moles,’ a ‘chest infection’ a ‘chesty fecshun,’ and one of the opening lines reads: “My fayvrit green pen is on the windysill, where I hided it from Toby, and I take it and squeeze ahind the telly to get to the peeling-paper.”

It takes a little while to adjust to this idiosyncratic narration. At first some of the characters felt unsubtly drawn — larger-than-life caricatures. But as I settled into Jesika’s viewpoint, I realised that, seen through her eyes, they were perfectly portrayed. In the end, the narration is nothing but charming, and it’s impossible not to fall for this little girl’s heart and bravery.

Her viewpoint also serves two very useful functions. Crucially, the naive perspective allows a grim subject matter to be explored delicately. When a pre-school friend tells her a disturbing secret Jesika doesn’t really understand what’s going on, so we get to witness alongside her, always a step removed from the brutal truth. As I read, I was constantly a little worried the storyline would tip over into gratuitousness, but thankfully the painful themes were covered elegantly throughout, thanks largely to the use of Jesika’s limited understanding.

I mainly enjoyed the delightful insight into the mind of a four-year-old child. The empathy in these pages is really quite humbling. Amanda Berriman shows such depth of understanding, such tenderness and patience with her character, that I have no doubt she’s captured how pre-schoolers really think. In a world where grown-ups frame ‘not making things harder’ as being ‘helpful,’ Jesika feels deep pride and validation in what a helpful girl she is, despite being too little to actually help at all.

At another point, Jesika’s mum is frustrated at her slowness walking home in the rain, but Jesika has let go of her brother’s buggy because she’s spotted the rainbow made by some oil in a puddle: “I know a rainbow puddle is something so special and Mummy needs to see it.” The thought of this scene has made me bite my tongue with my own little ones more than once since reading it — the whole book serves as a handy tract on compassionate parenting.

There are other things Home does exceptionally well. The way Jesika grows and learns through the course of the book is at once heartbreaking and inspiring. And I love how her mother, Tina, acts perfectly, despite all the challenges of ill health, no income or support and a dangerously inadequate rental. Echoes of Emma Donoghue’s Room are strong. Not just the child-centred language, but also the mother trying to be kind, and succeeding, from deep pit of despair. Wherever the blame lies for this family’s desperate situation, it is decidedly not at Tina’s door. She is a model for all of us.

Home deals with heavy themes, but the central tragedy of Jesika’s life isn’t the housing crisis she doesn’t know she’s at the centre of, or the dark adult things she doesn’t understand; it’s simply being four. Trying to understand the world, and get the world to understand her. The trials of crossing that huge gulf are the ones that preoccupy Jesika, and that loomed largest in the book for me.

And that tragedy is tempered throughout by the joy I mentioned. An innocent, hopeful, bittersweet joy that lights up this book from within. Not the horribleness, but the happiness that leaches through despite itself.

I’ve seen many review-column mentions of the terrible childhood Jesika endures, but, in actual fact, all Jesika really wants is her family. Jesika’s mum has set her up well, and her priorities are good. We glimpse how impossible her mum’s life is, but we inhabit Jesika’s world. She sees the joy in the things grown-ups find unbearable — a peeling, mouldy corner of wallpaper is her special place where she can draw. Faced with the unknown pleasures of kids TV on DVD, she just wants to watch a video clip of her little brother. While her mum negotiates the social shame of accepting charity, Jesika just sees kindness and friends. She doesn’t crave the bigger houses she visits, despite her awe at their trampolines and bird tables, she just wants to go back ‘home.’

Interesting narrative. Comes from the perspective of a 4 year old. Found it hard to get in to but once did it was hard to put down

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book as an arc. I was slightly apprehensive starting this book, as it is narrated by 4 year old Jesika and I thought her voice might come over as precocious or annoying, however it was written extremely well and the reader could really empathise with her. I felt so sorry for the poor wee soul with all the situations she had to face. At times this was a heartbreaking read and seeing things from a child's perspective was fascinating.
Well worth a read, I would recommend this book.

Geez to be honest I’m gonna struggle to convey in the review just how good but sad but amazing this book actually is. It’s gonna stay with me for a very long time and in my opinion is a must read for everyone!

Jesika is four and a half and lives in a flat with her mum Tina and her baby brother Toby, they live in squalor & awful conditions and their mum does her best but there’s not much more she can do to improve their situation.

It’s an awfully sad story and little Jesika is far older than her years, she’s seen and heard far too much for her age and she is so endearing you just want to take her home and keep her warm and love her forever.

What’s said it you know all over the U.K. there’s plenty of Tobys & Jesikas....a sad but beautiful read

I found Home a little tricky to get into, but once the story began to develop, I finished the book in one sitting. Like a British re-imagining of Room (albeit without the kidnapping), we view the world through the eyes of Jesika, a four year old voice that is capable of carrying the narrative and pulling at the heart strings.

Absolutely amazing I wish I could give this more than 5 stars. So wonderfully and cleverly written. I laughed and cried throughout this book I have no doubt it's going to be huge. I can't stop raving about it.

A cleverly written book with the story being told from the perspective of a 4 year old child. The innocence of youth and the language used leave the reader to interpret what is happening. It is a soft way to examine some of the difficult challenges of life which we face as adults and a stark reminder of the need to protect our children and their childhood.

I really enjoyed this book. It's very different because it's written from the point of view of a 4 year old girl. Jesika lives in a grotty flat with her mummy and baby brother. She goes to preschool in the afternoons. She makes a new friend called Paige, and it soon becomes evident to the reader that something untoward is happening between Paige and her uncle. When Jesika's mummy and brother are kept in hospital with pneumonia caused by their damp flat, she ends up staying at Paige's house. I really recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.

An unusual and disturbing story told from the point of view of a four year old girl as she experiences her life.

She is a very bright little girl but her understanding of events is, of course, limited by her experience, and what her mother has told her. Her life has been difficult as her father abandoned her mother when she was pregnant with their second child and went back to Poland. He doesn't provide any  support and this leaves them living in a rented flat in a rather unsavoury building. a flat that is damp, lacks reliable reliable heating and maintenance with doors and windows that don't fit properly and up several flights of stairs. the owner of the flat also is inclined to request services rather than cash for rent from her mother...

Our little heroine has a friend, Paige, and gradually as the friendship between them develops as it also does with their mothers, we begin to work out just what is really happening in Paige's life.

I was initially unsure about this story as it was tricky reading a story told in the voice of a child - but it was not written in a sentimental manner and indeed her voice was very poignant. i got hooked and found it excellent.

Disturbing but compelling narrative told from the perspective of a 4 year old girl. Didn't quite have the same depth as "Room" - reached rather a tidy conclusion - but the story of poverty and how a single parent manages under those circumstances is heart breaking.

Home is a story written from the perspective of 4 year old Jesika who lives with her Mum and her little brother. This book takes you on an emotional journey of a 4 year old and reminds you that children don't always process information the way that we do, that they trust people because we tell them too and that as adults we don't always remember to stop and listen to what our children are trying to tell us but might not have the words to formulate what they are trying to say.

I absolutely loved the way this book was written, at the offset I was dubious about the narrative being from a 4 year olds perspective but once I was a few pages in I was hooked and could not put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to seeing its success.

Very strong and unique voice and a terribly poignant and hard-hitting storyline. One of this book’s main themes is not apparent - it takes on two social evils and like ‘Room’, I found myself wanting to finish it quickly.

Tina is a struggling mother of two young children. Jesika is four years old and loves her preschool she attends every afternoon.

Life gets very scary for Jesika when her mummy and Toby get very sick and need to stay in hospital for a few days. She has to go and stay with foster carers and her mummy’s old school friend Lauren and her daughter Paige. Paige is Jesika’s friend from preschool but she has a very scary uncle Ryan who keeps hurting her tummy. Jesika tells Ryan to stop hurting Paige but he doesn’t and instead threatens and scares Jesika.

This is a book about the struggles of single parents who are taken advantage of by uncouth individuals and a system not equipped to deal with the scale of need. It’s about the courage of a little girl who stands up for her friend and tells the ‘naughty secret’ to stop her friend been hurt. It’s the heartwarming friendships that are cemented in everyday struggles that are so important during the good and the difficult times. And the love and honesty between a mother and her children.

A well written book tackling some very difficult issues around child safety and welfare.

When I got to 19% through this book, there was a little niggle in the back of my mind. I thought I knew which way this book was going.
I have now got to 31% in the book and I'm sorry to say that I'm going to stop reading. It's not just because of the topic either. I was really struggling with reading a book that is from the point of view of a 4 and a half year old. At first, I thought that it would be interesting and a bit of a personal challenge but Jesika just annoyed me.

I realise that I'm very much in the minority and that many others have loved the book and the fact that Jesika is so young but this just isn't for me.

Did not finish.

This is heartbreaking, harrowing and incredibly beautiful. I was completely captivated from the very first page by the style of writing. Not just because it's told from the perspective of a 4 year old but the spelling and flow of the story makes for an incredible insight into how a child's brain works. I fell in love with most of the characters, emotionally invested in the outcome and SERIOUSLY wanting to scream at the book with venom and anger in some places. This really is a remarkable story about the importance of childhood innocence and how it should be protected at all costs. It's a good lesson in judgement and how differently we see the world as an adult. Incredibly well written with a beautiful pace, I couldn't put it down. Emotionally and psychologically its a hard read, but such an amazing story.