Caroline Scott has done it again! This is such a very interesting and poignant story. A man is arrested after drawing on a tomb in Durham Cathedral but he doesn't know who he is or where he's from. The year is 1918 and the First World War has just ended. This story tells you about the aftermath of war and the impact on people- both men and women. I cannot recommend this highly enough- beautiful writing, characters you really care about, and the descriptions of the terrors of war and the impact on mankind are so well done that you can imagine yourself there. This author does not shrink from telling it as it was, and her writing is all the better for it. There is no glorification of war here but a more realistic story. You have to read this book!

Set in the years right after WWI 'When I come home again' is a story about the human cost of war; in lost lives, survivors with terrible traumas and the grieving families who sometimes had to wait for years for news of their lost loved ones.
The story is slow moving, in places too slow moving, but it is impossible not to feel for the characters.
Adam is a British soldier, who is returning in 1918 without any recollection of who he was before the war, and what happened to him in the trenches in France. His doctor James Hawthorne is suffering from his own demons from the war, and around them is a gallery of persons who are all affected by their traumas and struggle.

This is a slow burner, the pace is beautifully set and compliments a very difficult time and subject in the history of the world. Young men sent to fight, sent to be slaughtered in the killing fields of France. Returning home (the lucky?) to be confronted by a society totally unable to deal with the effects of close combat not able to understand ptsd, a word only recognized in the latter days of the 20th century. Adam emotionally damaged by his experiences in the trenches is sent to Fellside House in Durham where he is a patient to James Hawarth, himself also a casualty of the great war. These are men so traumatised and with such severe memory loss that they do not know who they are. Most of Caroline Scott’s novel concerns the many visitors who attend the hospital hoping to find their loved ones last scene on the road to France.
This book wonderfully shows the effect of war not only on the victims but also their immediate family; wives, mothers, lovers girlfriends…who individually visit Fellside in the hope that their visit will give them the answers they yearn for. A most enjoyable read. Many thanks to the good people at netgalley for a gratis copy in exchange for and honest review and that is what I have written.

A haunting story a soldiers return after WW1 a man broken by what he has been through the horrors he has seen many soldiers returned damaged.This book pulls at the heartstrings a worthy read,

The way in which Caroline Scott writes about the long lasting trauma faced by soldiers of World War One is haunting. The style is achingly beautiful and you can feel the emotion on every page. This is the sort of book that stays with you a long time after finishing it.

** spoiler alert ** SPOILERS


So much to like in this book.
Flawed characters,all wounded by the war. .The central ones of James,Adam and Caitlin were all so likeable and believable.

Other characters,all desperate to see their son/husband/brother in Adam could make your heart break.... that a stranger in your home is prefable to the emptiness of not knowing,the daily struggle of going on every day.

I'm so glad the book didn't end without finding out who Adam was ,which I thought as I got closer to the last pages it would... but for me,it felt an incredibly weak reason to leave your husband in limbo for years.

Overall though,great book I'll be recommending to others.

A deeply ,harrowing. story of World War One,where soldiers return damaged and broken. The main character remembers nothing,but the story is so much more,mothers,sisters,wives are desperate to claim him. A moving story.

When I Come Home Again by Caroline by Caroline Scott is an excellent debut historical fiction from Ms. Scott that will stay with me for quite some time.

I was initially drawn in by the premise and the time period being WWI. From the first chapter, I was pulled in by the mystery, plot, and wonderfully developed character cast.

This is not just a war-era novel about finding the identity of this particular individual. This is a book that brought, at least to me, to light a face, a person that represented each and every soldier, citizen, and individual that was affected during the active war and battles, but also that was affected by the loss and trauma afterwards. It was as if Adam was able to represent every person that was lost to loved ones (physically and emotionally) from war. It put a face to a name of the many that were lost forever and never to return as they were, or at all. It was heart breaking, heavy, emotional, and a story that is needed to be told so that these sacrifices are never forgotten.

I went through a lot of reflection and different emotions as I devoured this book, and it gave me another perspective of the events and persons affected. The author accomplished her goal of writing an interesting, important, and emotional book. An important story that I hope continues to be told.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.