Homebound

A joy – at once a gripping mystery that confidently spans centuries, and a hauntingly beautiful exploration of what makes us human. Inventive and gritty, powerful and clear-eyed, it kept me up all night! – MADELINE MILLER, author of The Song of AchillesA sparkling novel, a work of joyous and serious invention… profoundly attentive to the concept of home as something portable, created not by territory but by family (born and chosen), storytelling and solidarity – KALIANE BRADLEY, author of The Ministry of TimeHomebound is a big, bold, ecstatic world – full of heart and wonder – where stories weave through time to connect us, and our faith in each other makes us human – RUTH OZEKI, author of The Book of Form & EmptinessA fascinatingly plausible and atmospheric story of a future shaped by tech and love intertwined – EMMA DONOGHUE, author of RoomI absolutely inhaled it! What a gorgeous debut – beautifully written, so much fun and so thoughtful – ELLA RISBRIDGER, author of Midnight ChickenThe most original and arresting novel I’ve read in a very long time… What a joy; what a marvel – ANNA NORTH, author of Bog QueenBeautifully written… one for fans of Gabrielle Zevin and Kaliane Bradley * Bookseller Ten Titles Not to Miss *Quiet, smoothly written, and deeply internal, this is a gift to readers who enjoy the act of story-creation, -telling, and -experiencing * Library Journal Starred Review *Like Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, Homebound portrays a plausible, forlorn version of the future, one that’s tied to the past through the staying power of stories * Booklist Starred Review *Unique and complex, this novel tells an unexpectedly moving story of love, loss, and how the past shapes – and haunts – our present. An ingenious narrative that explores the meaning of love and interconnectedness across time * Kirkus Starred Review *

Portia Elan studied history at Stanford University and earned an MFA from the University of Victoria before returning to California, where she has worked as a waitress, bookseller, teacher and public librarian. She was a 2016 Lambda Literary Fellow and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wife and an abundance of cats. Homebound is her first novel.