“Homebound” by Portia Elan
It’s 1983 and Becks can’t wait to get the hell out of Cincinnati. She’s nineteen, blasting her Walkman, and hiding from the fact that her beloved uncle, the only person who understood her, is dead. But she has work to do: he left her a half-finished game to complete—one last collaboration to find her way out of loneliness.
Little does she know, what Becks is making will echo far into the future and shape the lives of a scientist, a sentient automaton, and a flinty sea captain in ways she cannot imagine. All are bound together by their search for connection—and by a futuristic traveler on a mysterious mission through space.
Review
This was a really good book – a bit complicated in places with the choice the author made in how they structured it but worth the read. I enjoyed reading all the different timelines and meeting the characters. I thought they were all great and I liked how things played out. The structure was a little disjointed as the timeline hopping was seemingly random but it ended up working out well. The ending of the book also felt like it fit the themes in the story. I don’t want to spoil anything because I feel like this one is one you have to get to yourself. I felt there were several different themes to the book include relationships and family ties and figuring out where you belong. The way the game ties everyone together is a bit more complicated than I was expecting but in the end it made complete sense.
Book Details
- Author’s Website
- Portia Elan
- Publisher / Date
- Scribner, May 2026
- Genre
- Science Fiction
- Page Count
- 304
- Date Completed
- May 9, 2026