Skip to Main Content

When I Come Home Again

'A page-turning literary gem' THE TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF 2020

About The Book

**From the highly acclaimed author of The Photographer of the Lost, a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick**

‘A page-turning literary gem about grief, loss and the impact of war on those left behind’ The Times, Best Books of 2020

One Great War soldier with no memory.
Three women who claim him as their own.


1918. In the last week of the First World War, a uniformed soldier is arrested in Durham Cathedral. When questioned, it becomes clear he has no memory of who he is or how he came to be there.

The soldier is given the name Adam and transferred to a rehabilitation home. His doctor James is determined to recover who this man once was. But Adam doesn’t want to remember. Unwilling to relive the trauma of war, Adam has locked his memory away, seemingly for good.

When a newspaper publishes a feature about Adam, three women come forward, each claiming that he is someone she lost in the war. But does he believe any of these women? Or is there another family out there waiting for him to come home?

Based on true events, When I Come Home Again is a beautiful and compelling story about love, loss and longing in the aftermath of war, perfect for fans of Maggie O'Farrell and Helen Dunmore.

Praise for When I Come Home Again:

‘A superb and quietly devastating novel’ The Times, Book of the Month

'Scott unravels her haunting tale in unpretentious but persuasive prose' Sunday Times

‘A heartbreaking read… I highly recommend it’ Anita Frank

'Breathtaking exploration of loss, love and precious memories’ My Weekly, Pick of the Month

‘Achingly moving and most beautifully written’ Rachel Hore

‘This beautiful book packs a huge emotional punch’ Fabulous

‘Drew me in from the first line and held me enthralled until the very end' Fiona Valpy

‘Quietly devastating' Daily Mail

'A compulsive, heart-wrenching read' Liz Trenow

‘Powerful’ Woman & Home

'Page turning, mysterious, engrossing and compelling' Lorna Cook

‘A carefully nuanced, complex story’ Woman’s Weekly

‘Caroline Scott evokes the damage and desolation of the Great War with aching authenticity' Iona Grey

‘Poignant’ Best

‘Wonderful and evocative’ Suzanne Goldring

‘Based on true events, this is a powerful story’ Bella

‘Immersive, poignant, intricately woven’ Judith Kinghorn

‘An evocative read’ heat

‘The story left me breathless. Powerful, heartrending, and oh so tender’ Kate Furnivall

‘Tense and compelling’ Lancashire Post

‘Scott litters her tale with clues and red herrings in the best mystery-writer way so we are kept guessing as to where the truth really lies’ The BookBag

About The Author

(c) Johnny Ring

Caroline completed a PhD in History at the University of Durham. She has a particular interest in the experience of women during the First World War, in the challenges faced by the returning soldier. Caroline is originally from Lancashire, but now lives in south-west France.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (November 5, 2020)
  • Length: 400 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781398501379

Raves and Reviews

‘A powerful story that’s achingly moving and most beautifully written. Readers of Maggie O’Farrell and Helen Dunmore are likely to enjoy When I Come Home Again

– Rachel Hore, author of The Love Child

'I absolutely loved it. It was page turning, mysterious, engrossing and compelling. I thought so many times I had it all figured out and I was wrong every time. I couldn’t get to the end fast enough and finished it at 1 am feeling bereft'

– Lorna Cook, author of The Forbidden Promise

'Wonderful and evocative . . . it was immediately intriguing and had the ring of truth. But what I realised . . . is that it is so much more subtle and complex than being just the journey to discover who Adam really is. It is not only about memory and identity, it's about the repercussions and tragedy of war, reaching out across vast swathes of society'

– Suzanne Goldring, author of Burning Island

'Captivating, heart-breaking and uplifting. This beautiful and moving book drew me in from the first line and held me enthralled until the very end'

– Fiona Valpy, author of The Dressmaker's Gift

‘A haunting novel with loss at its heart - the loss of self, loved ones and the lives that should have been. Caroline Scott evokes the damage and desolation of the Great War with aching authenticity, and her writing is exquisite'

– Iona Grey, author of The Glittering Hour

When I Come Home Again is a compulsive, heart-wrenching read, beautifully and painfully evoking the toxic mix of grief and guilt suffered by survivors and the bereaved following WWI. When a man arrives who cannot remember who he is, three bereaved women genuinely believe him to be their own lost loved one, with devastating consequences’

– Liz Trenow, author of Under a Wartime Sky

‘When a WWI soldier with complete memory loss is discovered in Durham cathedral, more than one woman steps forward to claim him as her own. But the past is a place he has shut away, and in this powerful psychological novel, Scott explores the mental health of everyone involved in the soldier’s life. A carefully, nuanced, complex story’

– Woman & Home

‘A beautifully written novel – immersive, poignant, intricately woven’

– Judith Kinghorn, author of The Echo of Twilight

‘Scott litters her tale with clues and red herrings in the best mystery-writer way so we are kept guessing as to where the truth really lies’

– The BookBag

‘A superb and quietly devastating novel about grief, hope and the horrific aftershocks of war’

– Antonia Senior, The Times, Book of the Month

When I Come Home Again is a heartbreaking read which reveals the far-reaching tragedies of war. My heart ached for the three women and for Adam… I highly recommend it – and I very much look forward to Caroline Scott’s next novel’

– Anita Frank, author of The Lost Ones

‘Caroline Scott’s quietly devastating second novel insightfully explores the impact of the Great War on returning soldiers and their families… Scott skillfully unspools their heartbreaking stories while uncovering Adam’s secrets and the source of his fear’

– S Magazine

‘Atmospheric descriptions of the Lake District contrast with the horrors of war in this poignant and breathtaking exploration of loss, love and precious memories’

– My Weekly, Pick of the Month

‘An evocative read’

– heat

‘Outstanding… The story left me breathless. Powerful, heartrending, and oh so tender. A whirlwind of emotions that will not allow us to forget’

– Kate Furnivall, author of The Guardian of Lies

‘This beautiful book packs a huge emotional punch’

– Fabulous

‘Scott’s tense and compelling mystery – with so many broken lives at its centre – ­is a timely reminder that the repercussions of war are lasting, painful and tragic’

– Lancashire Post

‘Caroline Scott’s quietly devastating second novel insightfully explores the effect of the great war on returning soldiers and the families that waited, longingly, for their return’

– Daily Mail

‘A carefully nuanced, complex story’

– Woman’s Weekly

'A poignant story about love and loss’

– Best

‘Based on true events, this is a powerful story’

– Bella

'Scott unravels her haunting tale in unpretentious but persuasive prose'

– Sunday Times

‘A page-turning literary gem about grief, loss and the impact of war on those left behind’

– The Times, Best Books of 2020

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Caroline Scott