Book Review: ‘The Homes’ by J. B. Mylet

Title: The Homes

Author: J. B. Mylet

Publisher: Viper

Publication Date: 2022

Set in Scotland in the 1960s, The Homes follows twelve year old Lesley and her best friend Jonesy as they try to catch the person killing young girls in their community in this coming of age novel.

The Homes is essentially a private village that exists solely to house a thousand unwanted or orphaned children. Something I didn’t know before I started reading was that places like this really did exist in Scotland. In the afterword JB Mylet explains he wrote the novel after hearing about his mother’s experiences in the Quarrier’s Homes. While the Homes featured in the book is fictional, knowing that a lot of the scenes that depict the community and the homelife of these characters (both the good and bad moments) were inspired by real events and personal experiences only makes me appreciate this novel more.

Despite the sadness and darkness featured in this book it is still a story that is full of heart. The positive relationship between Lesley and Jonesy is what really drives the story. Where Lesley is book smart, Jonesy is street smart. The pair are opposites yet, despite their differences, there is always the sense that together the complete each other. The unwavering friendship the pair have for each other is perhaps the true highlight of the novel.

Lesley is our sole narrator, meaning that the story is told through the eyes of a child. As a result the narration style deliberately uses a slightly more simpler tone and language choices. For example Lesley’s descriptions of events are very practical and her theorising is limited by her twelve years of life experience. But that doesn’t mean the book isn’t compelling, far from it. Mylet does an excellent job with his writing style and the novel believably feels as though it was been narrated by a child trying to make sense of the world and save her friends.

The Homes kept me engaged and wanting to read more throughout. I really cared about Lesley and Jonesy and what was going to happen to them. I also believe that any novel that makes me want to research more about its location and the inspiration behind its story is a win. The Homes is an easy read and, despite its relatively short length, it still manages to pack a lot into the plot and pull off a surprise reveal at the end.

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