The Wrong Way Home by Kate O'Shaughnessy (review)

Reviewed by: The Wrong Way Home by Kate O'Shaughnessy Amanda Toledo O'Shaughnessy, Kate The Wrong Way Home. Knopf, 2024 336p Trade ed. ISBN 9780593650738 17. 99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593650752 10. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 6-9 Everything is "natural" at the Ranch—led by Dr. Ben, the small harmonious community has no technology (and its harmful radiation), no processed foods, sugars or synthetic fabrics, and is preparing to survive the devastation of climate change and war that Dr. Ben sees as inevitable. Twelve-year-old Fern is excited when Dr. Ben says she's ready for the wilderness survival rite of passage, but her mom ruins everything, whisking Fern away in the dark of night, driving across the country until they land in California. Her mom insists the move is temporary, so Fern plays along, going to school while her mom works at the motel they live in, helping out at an old family friend's tea shop, and even making a friend in her science project partner. All the while, though, she's plotting to contact the ranch so Dr. Ben can come get them, talk sense into her mother, and allow them to return home. Fern's yearning for a home she loved is palpable, but O'Shaughnessy expertly sows small seeds in Fern's journey, little doubts that slowly root in Fern, such as realizing that medication perhaps shouldn't be reviled when it keeps her favorite science teacher alive, and that perhaps not learning any history about the world doesn't End Page 291 quite make sense. The supporting characters are lovingly crafted with depth and compassion, with small moments underscoring their own internal experiences, like Fern's mother's vulnerability in trying a new hairstyle or Fern's friend Eddie's determination to disprove a local ghost story. Nuance suffuses this story of discovery, as Fern's blind faith grows tenuous, allowing her to decide what pieces from her cult upbringing serve her—a love for the environment—and what she needs to question. Even in the gritty, fallible, real world, she finds there is breathtaking beauty and love, without manipulation. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois