Remember Three Men and a Baby? Tom Selleck, Ted Danson, etc? Well this is the updated book version of that with ill-prepared singleton men looking after one of fiction's most charming (but not cloyingly so) toddlers. The circumstances of how the men come to be in charge of young Joel is a bit darker though and there is thread of seriousness running through what is, in the end, a heartwarming and uplifting read.

Two friends in their thirties, both muddling along avoiding responsibilities. They are then faced with the triple whammy of a friend killing herself, a toddler and a dying father. It took me a while to get into the book but the winning characters of toddler and his carer drew me in - I really wanted them to succeed, even when it seemed to be an impossible feat. One to keep going with as it proved to be a satisfying read.

This was a wonderful, heart-felt book about going home, moving on and growing up. I loved the melancholy sweetness, the characters and the incredible sense of place. Heartbreaking.

In Going Home Tom Lamont explores issues surrounding parenthood, father-son relationships, grief and loss, friendship, faith and religion, ageing and mortality.

Tom Lamont’s novel spans a year in the lives of three men and a toddler whose mother takes her own life.
Téo’s finds himself in sole charge of a two-year-old after a weekend visit to his hometown, installing Joel in his father’s flat, to Vic’s delight. Social Services’ machinery grinds into action with the help of Sibyl, the local rabbi, deeming Téo a suitable temporary carer, his life upended, plunged into a parenting he didn’t ask for while his best friend Ben, the hedonistic son of wealthy parents, looks on, unreliable and inept, but throwing money at the situation. Over the next year, a kind of family is formed from this disparate set of characters, all of whom are changed irrevocably, with Joel at its centre.
Lamont narrates his novel from the perspectives of Téo, Vic, Ben and Sibyl, each dealing with the fallout from Lia’s death: Téo’s life is changed beyond recognition; Ben is finally forced into adulthood; Sibyl grapples with the waning of her faith and Vic struggles with his deteriorating health making a terrible error of judgement which could result in disaster for Joel. It’s the kind of set up which might well have descended into sentimental schlock but Lamont steers it well clear of that. Joel’s appearances are wisely kept rare, and when they are made he’s both heartrending and funny but never cute. An enjoyable, smartly delivered piece of fiction, funny, warm-hearted and empathetic.

There's so many interesting characters in this book, the young and entertaining toddler Joel who brings so many of the comedic moments to the storyline, Ben who is the boy that never grew up, Téo who's return to visit his father Vic brings more questions than answers and triggers a chain of events none of them are prepared for. They all show what love and family really means, the highs, the lows, the infuriating, and the complexity of being vulnerable. It took quite a few chapters in before I got into the prose and writing style of the book but once it clicked I enjoyed it thoroughly and felt a strong connection to the characters.