Although Far from Home is a coming-of-age story—one of inner searching and outer knowing—it is an unusual tale in that the searching belongs to many perspectives, not the least of which is the personal experience that the reader brings to the reading. A painful family secret sends Jo on the road. Young, fragile, and lost, she makes her way to Cass’s Roadside Café. There, her true journey of discovery begins.

Author Anne DeGrace is sparing with the early revelations of character and time, preferring to let the characters and location unfold to the reader in timely vignettes. DeGrace obviously wants us to appreciate each step of the path that Jo walks, and the humanity of each new person she encounters, rather than framing the story’s form at the beginning.

Cass, the café owner, has painfully learned to accept her aloneness, choosing to make herself and her café welcoming and available to the lame ducks and assorted soul-damaged patrons who come in for food and solace. Truck driver Archie lives a fractured and imperfect life, with humor and profound appreciation for the human condition. He often supplies Cass with hitchhikers with needs—temporary wayfarers passing through the café, each with their own course to plot.

Pink, one of the misfits, blows in on the wayward wind. He has given himself a new name, and he seeks a new life, all the while as he creates and follows a bizarre set of self-imposed rules. Then, there is the woman in yellow—seemingly well-to-do, with a childlike mien and a deep abiding love of flowers. Why is she on the road alone? What is she seeking?

As these diverse lives entwine, twisting together and then breaking free, Jo learns to trust her newfound instincts, to nurture herself, and to be willing to take a chance at life again. Anne DeGrace’s writing is heart catching. Even though the book seems to start slowly, each strand, each character, is finely tuned and always in DeGrace’s control. Although the locale, as well as the author, is Canadian, this book’s new release by an American publisher should deservedly gain a completely new audience. Open yourself to Anne DeGrace’s "warm fuzzy"—you’ll be glad you did!

Enjoy!