Home follows the Boughton household and the usual difficulties that arise when a wayward son returns home. It's not just a retelling of the prodigal son story though. Both Jack (the prodigal) and Glory (the good sister?) must deal with their past regrets and present anxieties. Their aging father, their failed relationships, their lot in life: these are demons that remind them of how impossible it is to "return" home.

But the story is not necessarily a tragic one. The hope portrayed in the novel is hard-earned. Though the characters are flawed in so many ways, we see them try, again and again, to be kind, generous, and charitable toward one another, even when their relationships are frayed. And in a sense, we get a sacramental view of grace when they forgive each other. Their impossible relationship mirrors God's own with us.