Book Review: How to Belong by Sarah Franklin
A moving read exploring home, family, and the concept of belonging.
★★★★
Admittedly, this is not the kind of book I’d have picked up of my own volition. The reason I gave it a go, however, is because it was written by one of my favourite university lecturers on Oxford Brookes’ Media, Journalism & Publishing undergrad (an incredibly lovely woman and fantastic teacher, by the way) – though I promise this is a completely unbiased review!
Firstly: I adored Jo’s friendship with Liam. I loved that it was just that – a friendship, nothing more. Liam, happily married, is a vital source of support for Jo (even if he wavered a bit here and there) and I enjoyed seeing how their friendship had developed from childhood to adulthood. Jo’s endeavour to save her family’s shop was also very admirable, especially since the staff she had to work with got on my nerves.
Also, if there’s one thing I love in books, it’s tragic lesbians. Give me all the tragic lesbians. Tessa and Marnie’s story ticked all the right boxes for me. It was moving, gripping, tragic, and had a perfectly bittersweet ambiguous ending – not satisfying for some, but it was just right for me. Learning about Tessa’s condition was also incredibly eye-opening; no spoilers here, don’t worry, but seeing how she had to adjust (and upheave) her entire life to accommodate it was heart-wrenching, and I was rooting for her the whole time, even if her grumpiness sometimes bordered on irritating.
As someone who is constantly moving between two cities – home and university – I often end up feeling like I don’t fully belong in either, like a part of me will forever be scattered in each of them no matter where I end up. Home, family, and feeling like I belong are all very dear to me, so How to Belong ended up hitting quite hard (yes, I might have teared up a bit on public transport). Though the sudden jumps in time sometimes threw me off, it was otherwise beautifully written. I admire Sarah’s writing as much as I admire her as a person, teacher, and friend.