The Last Way Home by Liz Johnson is a captivating retelling of the story of The Prodigal Son involving hockey, pottery, and redemption from unexpected sources.

From the back of the book:

When Eli Ross left Prince Edward Island to join the NHL, he left a broken family behind. More than a decade later, he’s broke and headed home to an uncertain welcome. He wants to make things right with the family he wronged, but his mom’s business partner isn’t making it easy. To top it off, the coaching job he’s accepted turns out to be far more difficult than he anticipated.

For years, Violet Donaghy has put everything she had into making Eli’s mom’s ceramics shop a success, and she’s not eager to forgive the man who hurt the family that’s taken her in as one of their own. But when the kiln at the shop starts a fire that nearly destroys the studio, she’ll need all the help she can get to save the business and their summer income.

Can these two strong-willed people come together to mend the broken pieces of the Ross family? Or will the ghosts of the past continue to haunt them?

I read this entire book in one day because I had to know what happened. The characters and situations were so relatable; the author revealed small amounts of the backstories and secrets at a perfect pace throughout the book, keeping me engaged. I enjoyed that I wasn’t able to fully predict what was about to happen.

This story is coming at the perfect moment in our culture as so many are struggling with forgiveness, differences, and coming to terms with their past and the past of others. Forgiveness and grace should be offered whenever possible – especially to ourselves – and this story illustrates that well.