{"product_id":"homebound-a-gma-book-club-pick-a-novel","title":"Homebound: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"An imaginative début... At once a work of dystopian science fiction and a tale of lesbian self-discovery, the novel is ultimately concerned with 'what it means to show up even when you're afraid.'\" \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--The New Yorker\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"You'll be captivated by this debut novel about a 1980s digital game that connects a queer teen named Becks with characters far in the future.\" \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Los Angeles Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \" \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound\u003c\/i\u003e has a puzzle-box thrill - the click of pieces locking into place... The quiet promise of Elan's novel is that your people are out there... It's the sort of book that might have kept my younger self company. I'm glad this generation will have it.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"An intriguing puzzle box of a novel... By taking a long view of history in her novel, one that telescopes forward and back in time, Elan remains \n\u003cbr\u003e hopeful about how humanity might make use of the technologies at hand.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe San Francisco Chronicle \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"A hugely impressive debut that immediately establishes Elan as a vital new voice.\" \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--The Irish Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"In Portia Elan's capable hands, \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound\u003c\/i\u003e brings its readers to the future through different perspectives, stories, forms, to grapple with the meaning of love and interconnectedness.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eTown \u0026amp; Country\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \" \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound\u003c\/i\u003e approaches the scale of the characters' work with optimism, rather than impatience or despair, and rewards the reader with small glimpses of how that work reverberates across generations. In a moment when I often find myself reading for escape--reading, in essence, to leave this reality for a little while-- \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound\u003c\/i\u003e made me want to stay, too.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBrooklyn Rail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Elan writes through the eyes of multiple characters across time and space to explore connection, identity, found family and what a future on this planet might hold for us.\" \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Southern California News Group\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"This striking novel follows Becks, a 19-year-old grappling with a sudden loss and an undying desire to leave Cincinnati, when she takes on a gaming project that has an impact for centuries to come.\" \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--People\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Magnificent... A marvel.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Elan deftly knots these threads together, gradually revealing layered stories about queer love and loss, making peace with one's mistakes, and finding a path through obstacles outside your control... Like Emily St. John Mandel's \n\u003ci\u003eStation Eleven\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound \u003c\/i\u003eportrays a plausible, forlorn version of the future, one that's tied to the past through the staying power of stories.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBooklist \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"An ingenious narrative that explores the meaning of love and interconnectedness across time.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"The magic of Elan's novel is the fact that as it unfolds, the story of Homebound the game is unfolding too, linking readers of Elan's book with the fictional readers within it... A gift to readers.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"What a pleasure it was to read this book. \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound\u003c\/i\u003e'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, \n\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003ereminds me of the novels of Emily St. John Mandel and Daniel Mason.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--KELLY LINK, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Love \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \" \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--RUTH OZEKI, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eA Tale for the Time Being \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Form and Emptiness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"A novel to get lost in, \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound\u003c\/i\u003e is deeply felt, deftly crafted and beautifully written. A story of friendship and family, of hope and invention and love. An inspiring debut.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--CHARLES YU, National Book Award Winner for \u003ci\u003eInterior Chinatown \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"A fascinatingly plausible and atmospheric story of a future shaped by tech and love intertwined.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--EMMA DONOGHUE, #1 bestselling author of\u003ci\u003e The Paris Express\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \" \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound\u003c\/i\u003e 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!\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--MADELINE MILLER, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eCirce\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Song of Achilles\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"A sparkling novel, a work of joyous and serious invention that moves fluidly between forms--text-based computer game, coming-of-age story, sea adventure--that is also profoundly attentive to the concept of home as something portable, created by family (born and chosen), storytelling and solidarity.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--KALIANE BRADLEY, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Ministry of Time\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \" \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound\u003c\/i\u003e'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!\" \n\u003cb\u003e--KEVIN CHONG, Giller Prize-shortlisted author of\u003ci\u003e The Double Life of Benson Yu\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Inventive and full of feeling. New insight into queerness and computer games unlocked.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--\u003c\/i\u003eMAGGIE THRASH, author of \u003ci\u003eRainbow Black\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \" \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--ANNA NORTH, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eOutlawed\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBog Queen\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPortia Elan studied history at Stanford University and earned an MFA from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, before returning to California, where she has worked as a teacher and public librarian. A former Lambda Literary Fellow, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wife and an abundance of cats. \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound \u003c\/i\u003eis her first novel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A \u003ci\u003eGOOD MORNING AMERICA\u003c\/i\u003e BOOK CLUB PICK - A \u003ci\u003eNEW YORKER \u003c\/i\u003eBEST BOOK OF THE YEAR - In a dazzling ode to human inventiveness and the desire for meaning, four lives are entangled across time by one unfinished story, saved to a floppy disk in the 1980s and destined to ripple across the centuries. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A joy\u003c\/b\u003e...\u003cb\u003eand a hauntingly beautiful exploration of what makes us human. It kept me up all night!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\" --MADELINE MILLER, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Song of Achilles\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"A big, bold, ecstatic world--full of heart and wonder.\" \u003cb\u003e--RUTH OZEKI, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eA Tale for the Time Being\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e1983\u003c\/b\u003e. Becks is nineteen, blasting her Walkman, and hiding from the fact that her beloved uncle, and the only person who understood her, is dead. Luckily, he left her a half-finished video game to complete--one last collaboration to find her way out of loneliness. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e2078.\u003c\/b\u003e Dr. Portman works at the intersection of artificial intelligence and robotics, wrestling with her responsibility to Earth's precarious future. But increasingly, it seems an exceptional project may transcend everything she believed to be possible... \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e2586\u003c\/b\u003e. After decades of life on the sea, Yesiko knows a scavenger's work is rife with moral compromise. Yet when a long-lost piece of technology walks aboard her ship, she is set on a path toward a sacrifice even she may be unwilling to make. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Linking these women across the centuries is a chain reaction of love, longing, and creativity that reveals our deep interconnectedness. Clear-eyed and hopeful, \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound \u003c\/i\u003eimagines how future generations will find meaning in the things we leave behind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 04\/13\/2026 (EAN 9781668201732, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/span\u003e 03\/01\/2026 pg. 89 (EAN 9781668201732, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e 03\/15\/2026 (EAN 9781668201732, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e 04\/01\/2026 (EAN 9781668201732, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/span\u003e 10\/21\/2025 (EAN 9781668201732, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContributor Bio:\u003c\/strong\u003eElan, Portia\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPortia Elan studied history at Stanford University and earned an MFA from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, before returning to California, where she has worked as a teacher and public librarian. A former Lambda Literary Fellow, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wife and an abundance of cats. \n\u003ci\u003eHomebound \u003c\/i\u003eis her first novel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Scribner Book Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496244478230,"sku":"9781668201732","price":33.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9781668201732.jpg?v=1783058061","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/homebound-a-gma-book-club-pick-a-novel","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}