Spotlight on “Homebound” by Portia Elan

Praise for Homebound

“Homebound is 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, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe and The Song of Achilles

“A fascinatingly plausible and atmospheric story of a future shaped by tech and love intertwined.”—Emma Donoghue, #1 bestselling author of The Paris Express

“Homebound 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, New York Timesbestselling author of The Book of Form and Emptinessand A Tale for the Time Being

“A sparkling novel, a work of joyous and serious invention that moves fluidly between forms—text-based computer game, fablelistic tale, coming-of-age story, sea adventure—that is also 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, New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time

“What a pleasure it was to read this book. Homebound’s radiant heart and the sure-footed clarity of Elan’s prose seduced me from the first page. It’s the kind of scope and pleasure that, forgive me for using the shorthand of comparison, reminds me of the novels of Emily St. John Mandel, Rachel Kushner, and Daniel Mason.”—Kelly Link, Pulitzer Prizefinalist for The Book of Love

“Homebound’s multiple narratives gloriously span centuries into the future to chart the voyages people take to find connection and community. Portia Elan’s ingenious novel is a puzzle-story, a nostalgic ode to 80s video games and punk rock, and a speculative look into the ways technology has reshaped longing. You need to read it!”—Kevin Chong, Giller Prize-shortlisted author of The Double Life of Benson Yu

“On a far-future Earth where oceans cover the globe, a sailboat captain reluctantly takes on new passengers to pay off a debt. In 1980s America, a young college student grapples with her uncle’s death while struggling to envision a future for herself. In the late twenty-first century, a scientist uncovers something astonishing. Beautiful, enthralling, and hopeful, Portia Elan’s Homebound imagines humanity’s future transformed by climate collapse, where the odds of survival are slim, and every choice has a price. 

“Shifting effortlessly between the fragility of ecological webs and artificial intelligence to the raw emotion of punk rock and the formative power of computer games, Elan’s novel asks us to consider the value of hope and storytelling in the face of uncertainty. With lyrical prose and sweeping imagination, Homebound is a moving, insightful story of wayfinding and what it means to come home. There are scenes in this book that will live in my heart forever.”—Loghan Paylor, critically acclaimed author of The Cure for Drowning

“Homebound is the most original and arresting novel I’ve read in a very long time. Elan has created a century-spanning epic that’s also an utterly intimate story of love, loss, and found family. What a joy; what a marvel.”—Anna North, author of Outlawedand Bog Queen