I wasn't sure what to expect from my first Graham Norton novel and I found Home Stretch to be a really pleasant surprise. The novel follows Connor, who in the 1980s is one of the three young people who walked away from a car crash which killed three others, on the eve of their wedding day. As the driver of the car, he flees his small Irish small town wrecked with grief to find a new life - first
to England and then to New York in search of a new life. But the past soon catches up with him.

I really felt that Norton's sense of place was great - both in the small Irish town but also as Connor moves to various cities as he ages. Everywhere felt well drawn, as did the majority of the support characters. Connor as a main character felt a bit disconnected; but that may well be the point, given he is haunted by his own past. We also spend time with his sister, who remains behind and marries one of the survivors of the crash, discovering the challenges of traditional married life. She is a more complicated character who I did find interesting to spend time with, even when she made some questionable decisions.

Home Stretch also deals with the experience of being gay in the 1980s and 1990s - and particularly when it is something that contributes to shame. In addition to his action in the car crash, Connor spends many years anxious about his identity - until he finds his found family in London and New York and is able to live a life free of guilt. It is one that felt particularly personal coming from Norton, and was a perspective that I valued hearing.

Things do end a little too neatly for my liking, but this was a really great surprise and I'd definitely pick up a future Norton book if I was after a quick read in the future.