Anyone else read this book and had Lin Manuel Miranda’s – “I’m just like my country / I’m young, scrappy and hungry / and I’m not throwing away my shot”? stuck in their head the whole time? Just me? Alright, let’s move on.
Louisa Onomé’s debut Like Home follows Chinelo, or Nelo as her best friend Kate calls her, whose life is turned upside down after a local act of vandalism throws her relationship with the people she loves and the entire neighbourhood of Ginger East into turmoil. Nelo has always been enamoured with her neighbourhood because to her, Ginger East is filled with wonderful memories of growing up with her best friends, the camaraderie of her neighbours and chill vibes. However, Ginger East hasn’t been what it was for a long time, after a deadly incident some years ago, and most of Nelo’s friends have moved away to better and brighter neighbourhoods, denouncing Ginger East outright. Now, after what seems to be a random act of violence on Kate’s parents’ beloved store, Nelo finds herself fighting for her neighbourhood’s image as the outside world threatens to “fix” what—to Nelo—has never been broken.
Onomé’s writing is immersive and engaging, though this book spans more than 400 pages I practically flew through the pages. However, as compelling as the writing and the mystery of figuring out who vandalised the store was, I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters because a lot of their actions—not only Nelo’s but also her friends’ and the entire miscommunication problem between her and Kate—felt a bit stiff, as if the “telling” we got about the characters and their identity didn’t quite match up with their “showing,” if that makes sense. For example, Nelo’s best friend Kate is acting strange throughout the novel and though there is obviously a reason for it, I had a hard time caring about it because we never really got to know Kate beforehand and there are few scenes of her being the best friend Nelo treasures before it all goes downhill. The added romance, while not unexpected, also slowed down the pacing which probably wasn’t intentional, but made it hard for me to get invested. Overall, I think that was my biggest issue because although Nelo learns things about herself and her surroundings, she never really grows, even when certain things are revealed to her. However, I think this was very much a ‘me’ issue and not a book-issue, and though I couldn’t connect to Nelo, I still appreciated the themes of the novel and with that comes my favourite part of Like Home.
The real showstealer in this novel is Ginger East. Within the story, it becomes so much more than a neighbourhood, despite the outside world’s derogatory descriptions and some lacklustre inhabitants, Ginger East is and will always be home. The way Onomé discusses gentrification was as jarring as it was evocative; I really enjoyed how we got to see the entire process from the beginning and how fast things can get out of hand, especially once the media gets involved. To see a neighbourhood be vandalised and then turned into “the villain” without it having any say in the matter was a stirring and powerful commentary on the world’s agenda to get rid of anything that doesn’t immediately check all the right boxes. I think we all have an idea of what gentrification is, but seeing the entire process laid out in this novel, not to mention Nelo’s adamant fight against it, was downright enthralling and made me want to save Ginger East right alongside our protagonist.
With a fierce protagonist and a neighbourhood to root for, Like Home is a timely and touching debut, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas and Elizabeth Acevedo.
Like Home is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up Like Home? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Fans of Netflix’s On My Block, In the Heights, and readers of Elizabeth Acevedo and Ibi Zoboi will love this debut novel about a girl whose life is turned upside down after one local act of vandalism throws her relationships and even her neighborhood into turmoil.
Chinelo, or Nelo as her best friend Kate calls her, is all about her neighborhood Ginger East. She loves its chill vibe, ride-or-die sense of community, and her memories of growing up there. Ginger East isn’t what it used to be, though. After a deadly incident at the local arcade, all her closest friends moved away, except for Kate. But as long as they have each other, Nelo’s good.
Only, Kate’s parents’ corner store is vandalized, leaving Nelo shaken to her core. The police and the media are quick to point fingers, and soon more of the outside world descends on Ginger East with promises to “fix” it. Suddenly, Nelo finds herself in the middle of a drama unfolding on a national scale.
Worse yet, Kate is acting strange. She’s pushing Nelo away at the exact moment they need each other most. Nelo’s entire world is morphing into something she hates, and she must figure out how to get things back on track or risk losing everything—and everyone—she loves.
