View source for Walk Me Home by Catherine Ryan Hyde

{{infobox
|title=Walk Me Home
|author=Catherine Ryan Hyde
|reviewer=Jo Heffer
|genre=Women's Fiction
|rating=5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=9780552778015
|pages=441
|publisher=Black Swan
|date=July 2012
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>055277801X</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>055277801X</amazonus>
|website=
|video=
|summary=Carly and her younger sister Jen are walking. In fact they intend to walk all the way from New Mexico to California in order to escape their tragic past and hopefully build a new future with their estranged stepfather, Teddy.  With no money and very little belongings will they be able to make it? And, if they do, will the future hold all that they are hoping for?
}}
Carly and Jen’s mother is dead and they have no other living relative. Scared that they will be placed in care in separate homes, the sisters decide that they have to find their mother’s former boyfriend, Teddy, one of the only people to have shown them any care and affection in their short lives. The only problem is that they are not sure where he is now, other than in California, and have no money or means of getting there. They decide to walk but how long will it take and what will they find waiting for them when they finally reach their destination?

This poignant story tells the tale of the girls’ journey whilst also moving back in time to enable the reader to piece together the events that have led the sisters to this desperate situation. It is incredibly moving as the girls desperately try to preserve their little family and try to make something of their tragic lives. They have to use their wits and also, there are times when they have to take things that are not theirs in order to survive. However, this is not stealing as the girls operate an ‘honesty system’, writing down the value of everything they have taken and where from, with the intention of repaying all of it once they are settled.

Of course, it is a desperate journey and one that would have certainly failed were it not for the kindness of certain strangers that the sisters meet on the way. I found this aspect of the story particularly heart warming and I would hope that this would be an instance where fiction really would mirror true life. All the characters feel very real, particularly the two girls who seem to grow up considerably as the story moves forward in time. The attention to detail is also excellent and really helps the reader to picture the passing landscapes and towns , whether scenic or seedy, as they are reading:

''She paused under the neon sign. It was supposed to say Leopard Lounge. But the big ‘L’ and the little ‘g’ were burned out. So it read more like’ eopard Loun e.''

It is a well crafted story that is both compelling and immensely satisfying. This was a book that I just wanted to keep on reading. I loved it from start to finish and I didn’t want it to end!


This book is almost certain to appeal to Jodi Picoult fans.

Why not also take a look at [[When I Found You by Catherine Ryan Hyde]]

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