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Publisher Description
1) Explores the nuances of online sex work with unabashed curiosity: though a burgeoning industry, very few fiction books explore sex work, and even fewer treat online sex work as legitimate. That tension triumphs in this novel.
2) Highlights the complexities of coming out in different geographic and relationship spaces as well as the notion that being open about one's sexuality includes more than one's place on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. This further deepens the situating of sex work as valid work while acknowledging that its practice overlaps with real bodily experience.
3) A timely addition to an Appalachian literature renaissance spurred by backlash to JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy, especially with a focus on tolerance of the “other” in the American south.
4) Embraces timelessly complicated feelings about home: On Home is both a love letter to West Virginia and an honest exploration of the suffocating insularity inherent in small-town America.
5) Immersive historical detail: two of the three narratives are inspired by first-hand sources of two distinct historical moments—the Government Girls of World War II and early 1990s Prague after the fall of the Soviet Union.
2) Highlights the complexities of coming out in different geographic and relationship spaces as well as the notion that being open about one's sexuality includes more than one's place on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. This further deepens the situating of sex work as valid work while acknowledging that its practice overlaps with real bodily experience.
3) A timely addition to an Appalachian literature renaissance spurred by backlash to JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy, especially with a focus on tolerance of the “other” in the American south.
4) Embraces timelessly complicated feelings about home: On Home is both a love letter to West Virginia and an honest exploration of the suffocating insularity inherent in small-town America.
5) Immersive historical detail: two of the three narratives are inspired by first-hand sources of two distinct historical moments—the Government Girls of World War II and early 1990s Prague after the fall of the Soviet Union.
7 Reviews
4.0
Larissa Walter
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James
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shibas.and.shelves
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“rtc”
Stephen Harrison
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“Becca Spence Dobias’s ON HOME is a heartfelt story of three women with a connection to Appalachia. There is the contemporary character, Cassidy, who moved from West Virginia to L.A. and is now working as a cam girl. On the other hand, Jane lived out her formative experiences during World War II and now lives in a nursing home. There is also the character Paloma, who lives in Prague. How do the stories connect? Ah, well there’s the West Virginia connection for one, but the rest is a surprise, and that’s part of the beauty of the book! Dobias does a great job depicting the (often creepy) messages that Cassidy receives as a cam girl. I found Paloma’s excitement during her time in Czechoslavia enjoyable to read. When Cassidy returns to West Virginia with her friend Noeli, we learn a lot more about Jane’s backstory, and Cassidy’s complicated relationship with Simon develops. Overall, I appreciated how Dobias portrayed the complicated dynamic when you really want two things at once: to stay and to leave.”
“This book is beautifully written. The setting is so well described you feel like you are there, however I don’t feel like that same meticulousness carried over to the characters. I really struggled to connect with a lot of them (but I did love Grandma Jane). Cassie felt like the most well rounded character but the more I learned about her the more I grew frustrated. I am not the type of reader who always needs to have a likable narrator but there needs to be some understanding of the character’s motivations so that you can appreciate their perspective. It doesn’t even seem like Cassie understands why she was making a lot of these choices.
The back and forth between past and present with multiple viewpoints also got a little confusing.
“On Home” brought up some interesting conversations about gender, sexuality and motherhood amongst 3 generations of women but overall I felt it lacked emotional complexity.
Thank you to Inkshares for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.”
About Becca Spence Dobias
Becca Spence Dobias grew up in a small town in West Virginia and now lives in Southern California with her husband and two children. Her work has been published in two Writing Bloc anthologies, Inlandia: A Literary Journey, and the Inlandia Anthology, A Short Guide to Finding Your First Home in the United States. She misses West Virginia every day but playing banjo helps. On Home is her first novel.
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