First published 1988
John Cotter steps off the train in Leah, New Hampshire, carrying his duffel bag and years of distance. The war is over. He has spent time wandering through Europe, but now he stands on familiar ground that feels foreign. His family waits for him, and his neighbors expect him to slip back into the life he left behind. But something has shifted inside John during his time away. The conversations feel hollow. The routines that once made sense now chafe against something he cannot name. He moves through his days in Leah like a stranger wearing his own clothes, recognizing faces but struggling to connect with the people behind them. The gap between who he was before he left and who he has become creates a tension that follows him through every interaction, every attempt to belong again in the place that should feel like home.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, returning-home
Setting: Leah, New Hampshire, Europe
Period: Post-War
325 pages · Paperback · Anchor