Online - November 11, 2004

Homecoming Game

"The Vagabonds" by Nicolas Delbanco

No sooner have the “trick or treats” faded from our ears than the “‘tis the seasons” start to ring. Like the shortening days, thoughts turn dark: long journeys home, awkward dynamics, and gatherings jam-packed with unresolved issues.

There’s nothing like November to put you in the mood for a good family drama.

Secrets, estrangement, and priceless dysfunction are the key ingredients in The Vagabonds, a satisfying homecoming tale in the tradition of Home for the Holidays and The Corrections. Nicholas Delbanco brings us the Saperstone siblings: Joanna, the headstrong eldest, who has gone from happy-go-lucky to down on her luck; Claire, the homemaker with a serious case of middle-child syndrome; and the feckless, reclusive baby of the family, David. Reunited at the family cottage after their mother’s death, the trio learns they are the heirs to a large inheritance, as well as to a scandalous past.

In taking us through three generations, Delbanco makes us question how well we really know our families.

And, unlike most seasonal sagas, The Vagabonds makes you want to get to know them a little better.

Available online at amazon.com or at your local bookstore.