Home for Christmas by Courtney Cole

Information

Goodreads: Home for Christmas

Published: 2022

Summary

Following the loss of her parents and Gran, Piper is feeling lost. When she leaves her family’s tourist hunting lodge to track down a group of missing guests, her life is upended when she falls and wakes up in 1944. She meets her great-grandparents and her Gran (who is closer to her age now), and the smoldering eyes of WWII veteran named Lane. As Piper wrestles with her grief and guilt, she learns about the way of life of her family in 1944 and wonders how (and if) she will ever get back home.

Review

When Piper shows up in a snowbank in 1944, her family has no idea who she is or how she got there. Instead of trying to explain time travel (who would? Who could?), she chooses to lie to them and says she has amnesia. Which is entirely a lie. She doesn’t know how she got there, but she knows exactly where she is and who these people are. So she has to pretend she doesn’t know her favourite foods, or how to fly a plane, and this just felt like an unnecessary lie. Surely she could have lied about parts of her life, but to pretend she doesn’t know her favourite food or a learned skill just felt like a bit of a stretch. 

Because this book is set during the 1940s, a major theme was the differences between then and now. Piper shows vast misunderstandings in areas of modesty, decorum, and manners, especially relating to her relationships with members of the opposite sex. When she and Lane are alone, they require a chaperone, and she’s chastised for giving another man the wrong impression when she accompanies him on a chore. 

Another theme is the way of life in the 1940s during the war. There is a lot of talk about food rations and how they don’t have much to share (yet they’re always finding ways to share the little that they do have, either with sick neighbours or pet reindeer). They have weekly bathtime and can only use two inches of water. I really enjoyed this part of the book, because we live with such excess and it was a good reminder that many of our grandparents lived through extreme times of scarcity. We have so much to be thankful for! 

Masculinity also appeared as a theme throughout the book, especially with many men returning home from war. Being seen as kind, sensitive, or compassionate was a critique against their character, and I appreciated Piper speaking up for the men and viewing these characteristics as a strength. Again, I think this is a difference between the 1940s and now, though our culture still has a way to go. 

One thing that bugged me in the book was that Piper didn’t seem concerned about how she was going to get home. She kind of appeared in 1944 and seemed pretty content with that. I thought her relationship with Lane was a bit reckless at times, because it was so unclear how the time-travel element was going to play out in this story. 

Overall, I really liked this family-centered novel. I’m not a huge fan of time-travel stories, but I loved the comparisons between the 1940s and modern day. And I loved the author’s acknowledgements and her goal for writing to showcase the stories of older generations:

"Let's not allow their memories to die with them. Repeat their stories to your children, who will repeat them to theirs."

I was lucky enough to also have very close relationships with my grandparents, and look forward to passing on their stories to my children too.