Jack Tennant is going home. After 15 years of building a life on his own, his mother calls him home. His father suffers from “Locked-In syndrome.” After suffering a stroke, Gil Tennant is stuck, completely conscious and mentally aware, but only able to control his left eye. Jack’s girlfriend, Hahva, sees this as Jack’s last opportunity to make amends with his broken family. She wants him to go home and start anew. But Jack knows better. There are a lot of things Hahva doesn’t know about is messed up family, and he isn’t willing to tell her. She doesn’t know about how his father ruined his whole life, his alcoholic older brother, Pressman, and she has never heard of Jack’s brother, Dex, who drowned at the age of 5 and about whom his parents have never mentioned since. There are no pictures, no toys and not a single memory of Dex left, except for the small orange flip-flops that Jack has never shown anyone and keeps hidden from everyone.

Adam Davies’ Goodbye Lemon is a heartbreaking, yet humorous, story inside of Jack’s mind. It follows him from before he received the news of his father, until months down the road, when he is unsure about every part of his life. Jack’s quirky personality is teenager-like; he breaks, grows and breaks again while he searches for the truth. There is not a single moment devoid of suspense. The family is falling and they need Jack’s help, but he has to decide. Will he stay and help, or walk away and back into his life that is falling apart at every turn? The mysteries are countless, the truth is unsure, and Jack’s life has broken into a million little pieces.

This novel truly engages the reader in a life-threatening story. It is written in such a way that you cannot escape from the tragic life that is Jack Tennant, and yet, no matter how much you want to, you can’t fix it either. It appeals to all people through its quest to answer universal questions about life, dealing with depression and alcoholism, the struggle of truth and family drama.