"Heartbreaking yet full of hope and beauty, this tells the story of a group of delinquent young men and the institution that houses them."
Hitting with hammer-hard precision, Hope House mines emotions and sets them free. Set in 1980’s Kentucky, 14 year-old AWOL tells the story of a group of teenage boys labelled as delinquents, who have been sentenced to reside in an institution named Hope House.
Debut author Joe Bond writes with a frank openness, there is a brutal beauty to this novel, and I almost felt rather than read the words on the page. There is a simplicity on display that highlights the pain, bravado, and anger as these boys come of age along with themes of identity and belonging.
The impact comes from hearing the story in AWOL’s voice and the complexity of feelings as he recognises behaviour and describes the journey of each of the inhabitants, including Mr Watts who runs the program. I connected with each of them, I felt their emotions, I saw inside them, and was left heartbroken. And yet, hope stitches itself in-between the broken bits, and I dreamt of the future.
A LoveReading Star Book, and Liz Pick of the Month, Hope House is one of those books that breaks your heart even as it mends it. Highly recommended.
Longlisted for the Center for Fiction 2026 First Novel PrizeA Poets & Writers First Fiction 2026 featured authorA Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by the Chicago Review of Books, Debutiful, the Millions, and the Orange County Register
Longlisted for the Center for Fiction 2026 First Novel PrizeA Poets & Writers First Fiction 2026 featured authorA Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by the Chicago Review of Books, Debutiful, the Millions, and the Orange County Register Set in 1980s Kentucky, this striking debut novel is told from inside a treatment home for troubled teenagers, where lost boys become more than their pasts and dare to imagine different futures.They came from the streets, the sticks and every place in between. They'd stolen cars, dealt dope and hurt people.
Hope House features in the following genres: Book Club Recommendations, Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Sharing Diverse Voices, Narrative theme: Coming of age, Narrative theme: Identity / belonging, Historical Fiction, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Narrative theme: Diversity, equality, inclusion, Narrative theme: Social issues, Narrative theme: Sense of place, Narrative theme: Identity / belonging, Narrative theme: Coming of age
Paperback, Hardback. £17.09, down from the £18.99 cover price. Not Available.
Hope House was written by Joe Bond and published by Hub City Press
Hope House has 312 pages
Yes it is part of Cold Mountain Fund Series series
£17.09, reduced from £18.99. Not Available.
