Homebound

by Portia Elan

Six hundred years. Five interlocking lives. One computer game.
And the many paths that can lead us home.

It’s 1983 and Becks can’t wait to get the hell out of Cincinnati. In the meantime, she has work to do: her uncle, the only person who understood her, has left her a half-finished game to complete.

What Becks is coding will outlast her by centuries and shape the lives of a scientist, an astronaut and a desperate sea captain in ways she cannot imagine. It will connect these four pioneering women across time, vast oceans and far-distant planets and introduce them to a remarkable robot destined to gather together this disparate crew and bring them home.

Homebound is a coming out and coming-of-age story, a wild and precarious sea adventure, a space odyssey. As it slips through time, loss, creativity, found family, it journeys deep into humanity’s future and capacity for love.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Queer, Historical, Space, Historical Fiction, LGBT

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 5, 2026

About the author

Portia Elan studied history at Stanford University and earned an MFA from the University of Victoria before returning to California, where she has worked as a waitress, bookseller, teacher, and public librarian. She was a 2016 Lambda Literary Fellow and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wife and an abundance of cats.

Reviews

[DianaRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

full review tk closer to pub day but a fantastic debut novel featuring a video game that connects the lives of people across multiple generations…this will completely blow readers away.

[Bar Fridman-Tell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece that left me feeling at the same time like I'm about to cry and like someone saw I'm about to cry and covered me in a blanket and handed me a cup of warm tea. Homebound is the sort of book that I didn't only read - it became a part of me, and I'm so incredibly grateful for that. 

[Mitsy_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. Technically a literary sci-fi, but really more of a genre-bending story. It’s set across nostalgic 1980s scenes, the not-too-distant 2080s, the centuries that follow, and finally a far distant future nearly 600 years later which strangely feels nostalgic and reads almost like a medieval fantasy.

It’s an ambitious epic, written incredibly well, and clearly well thought out and executed. There are four main characters, but it never feels like too many. I grew very attached to all of them that is a sign of how strong the character writing is. These different POVs and multiple timelines gradually weave together to make sense of the whole, all while asking profound questions about where human civilisation is headed and what it means to exist. When the planet is destroyed, your home gone, and the future uncertain, what do we live for?

Some of the technical elements went over my head (coding, AI and other technological references ) but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. It’s not a five-star read for me, only because I didn’t feel the deep emotional impact I expected from such an epic. Still, the ending left a gentle warmth in my heart. That was lovely.

I’d recommend this to people who enjoy:

- Kazuo Ishiguro’s books or other literary sci-fi focused on human connection and love
- Adventure stories
- Books set in the 1980s
- Found family themes

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 110 pages. Maybe I am becoming a book grinch but this was another colossal disappointment (the third in a row for me). Tomorrow x3 this is not.

Too many characters, too many timelines and convoluted storylines and I didn't care about any of it. I know you should always take publishers' comparisons with a pinch of salt but to compare this to Tomorrow x3 is an insult. The characters here are paper thin and strangely unlikeable, leaving you rooting for no one - particularly as you've no clue what you're even meant to be rooting for (at least for the first 100 pages anyway).

This will undoubtedly sell well to the exact market they're aiming for, but I can't in good conscience recommend it.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Homebound, we follow three main timelines in 1983, 2090-2093, and 2586 (+ a play log of a game in 2093 and a few moment’s from Chaya, the robot’s perspective over time). The 1983 and 2586 timelines are written in first and third person prose while the 2090-2093 timeline is written in a series of emails. I loved each of these narratives and the relatively short chapters kept the pace feeling high (yet gentle as this book as little “action” in) so that I was compelled to pick up and keep reading this book throughout. One of the many reasons that this book so fun to read is the fact that you are always trying to piece together how these narratives fit together. This mystery of sorts is well-balanced as it doesn’t remain very difficult to piece together for long, which prevents you becoming frustrated by any unnecessarily prolonged confusion.

The book is very character-focused, which I love, while still being able to weave in world building of the dystopian future. The world building is done subtly and never felt like it was on-the-nose. This is my favourite way to understand a sci-fi world: gradually being drip fed by the narrative.

One core theme of the book is how we remember those we loved and lost by telling stories. Although the last few pages did lay out this idea a bit more obviously than I felt it needed to, with the more subtle portrayal of this idea which shone throughout the rest of this book being more effective in my opinion, I liked how this theme was presented. Particularly in the story told through the game and Root and Yesiko’s relationship.

Queerness is also a big theme which runs through this book, and the way in which the experience of queer love and the struggles that came with being queer (particularly in the 1980s for both men and women) is beautifully done.

I love books which involve games and look at game making, or any sort of story telling medium for that matter (e.g. also film or books), and enjoyed reading the sections where the game was played. It was very interesting to think about how the game interweaved with the various narratives in the book, whether because the game was written by or played by the characters. The stories that were told directly through the game were also compelling and I felt invested in each of the characters the game character was helping, which is very impressive especially considering how few pages were spent in each scenario.

I often struggle with robot characters, but I really liked Chaya. I think robot characters can just feel like they are thrown into sci-fi books without a clear purpose and thus aren’t done well, but Chaya being a robot was deeply embedded in the plot and how their character worked. It also gave them interesting flaws that helped drive the plot as well as explore the theme of story-telling.

On that point, I loved all of the characters in this book and found them all to be incredibly vivid and compelling whether they were a main perspective character or not. It was also so refreshing to have an older female perspective (Yesiko in 2586) where her age is important for her character, as it would be with anyone, but is not in any way the focus of her character.

This book reminded me a lot of Emily St. John Mandel’s books, particularly ‘The Glass Hotel’ and ‘Sea of Tranquility’ in the structure of the narrative and character/theme-driven sci-fi. I am incredibly excited to see what Portia Elan writes next!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

[Hannah Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

This warmed the cockles of my heart.

I love a novel that spans time and space, but in which all the characters are connected. In this case, by a video game, but also by a sense of love, friendship and common humanity. All good sci-fi and speculative fiction examines what it means to be a human and the importance of the emotional connections we make.

The first strand of the story begins in the 1980s snd is a sweet story of grief and coming out. Rebecca inherits a half-finished computer game which her uncle began, and which she will finish. The most futuristic strand of the novel is set in the 2580s, in a sunken world of water and islands, where captain Yesiko transports three passengers - two teenagers and a robot - in search of a lost astronaut and a long-forgotten story.

The novel was made up of first person and third person narrative, emails and computer game excerpts. All the pieces of the puzzle cleverly interconnect and intersect, coming together beautifully towards the end. The structure of the book was a perfect metaphor for how story, myth and history unite us.

It reminded me of Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr and Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel - other books which criss-cross backwards and forwards through time.

Overall, this was short and sweet, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

a beautifully written and hopeful story, but i really struggled to connect with one of the three timelines and wish more time had been spent with my favourite time (the 1980s story)

[gifted ARC but all opinions my own!]

[Jenn]

DNF. Not for me. I'm so bored.

[sophie ☁️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sobbing but also feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

Homebound is a beautiful and heartfelt, what I can only describe as a masterpiece. I have never read anything like this in my life, and I’m utterly awestruck that it’s a debut. The story begins in 1983, where Becks is left a half-finished video game to code by her uncle, and what she creates is a vessel that will connect four pioneering women in a journey through time and space.

Thank you endlessly to the author, publisher and NetGalley for granting me an eARC of Homebound. This was a truly phenomenal novel and I believe this will thoroughly blow future readers away.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Homebound by Portia Elan is a quiet, lyrical triumph. It's a deeply emotional and intimate novel that lingers long after the last page is turned. This isn’t the kind of story that screams for attention with flashy twists or dramatic set pieces. Instead, it gently pulls you in with its emotional authenticity, graceful prose, and a kind of quiet wisdom that slowly unfolds over the course of the book.

At its heart, Homebound is about what it means to return, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually, to a place that once held meaning, and to the people and pieces of ourselves we may have left behind. Elan writes with a softness that feels both intimate and raw, crafting a narrative that is driven as much by feeling as it is by plot. The pacing is measured, almost meditative, which allows the emotional beats to land with surprising power.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its character work. The protagonists are nuanced and relatable, people whose struggles with grief, memory, and reconnection are rendered with such compassion that it’s impossible not to be drawn in. Elan doesn’t rely on melodrama to make you care. Instead, she offers characters who feel like real people, with complex motivations and layered relationships. You’ll find yourself rooting for them in quiet moments of growth and introspection, and aching with them in moments of loss and uncertainty.

The setting of the novel plays an essential role too. Elan has a gift for evoking a strong sense of place. The world of Homebound feels lived-in, textured, and emotionally resonant. It acts as a mirror to the protagonist's internal journey, subtly reflecting themes of belonging, loss, and healing.

Elan’s prose is poetic and evocative without being overwrought. There’s a rhythm to her language that feels like a slow breath; measured, intentional, and deeply human. Her use of metaphor and imagery heightens the emotional resonance without ever feeling forced or heavy-handed. There were moments where I found myself pausing just to sit with a sentence, not because it was difficult, but because it was beautiful.

What I appreciated most was how the story doesn’t offer easy answers or perfectly tied-up resolutions. It honors the messiness of real life and the courage it takes to face the things we’ve been avoiding. Yet, for all its emotional weight, Homebound is ultimately hopeful. It’s a story about mending, about finding solace in unexpected places, and about the quiet strength it takes to begin again.

Homebound is definitely a gem worth discovering. Portia Elan has crafted something quietly powerful and emotionally rich. It’s a book that sits with you, not loudly, but with the quiet insistence of truth, and reminds you of the beauty in returning, even when the path home isn’t easy.

Thank you to NetGally, Scribner, and Portia Elan for granting me access to a digital ARC of this title.

[Stacy DeBroff · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This lyrical, completely original novel poignantly captures how the stories and myths we tell each other binds humanity together across centuries and across the universe.

In 1983, Becks has lost her favorite uncle to illness and turns to a text-based computer game he started writing for her as comfort against deep teenage angst and loneliness. Becks works at a Cincinnati music store, hates her mom, loves her female best friend a bit too much, helps care for her Bubbe, and struggles to find her place in the world. She immerses herself in completing the game her adored uncle left for her, named Homebound.

There’s also the game world of Homebound where a female Lieutenant California is sent out from Earth to find out why a spaceship carrying humans in stasis searching for a new habitable planet has gone unresponsive to communications. She finally docks with the spaceship to find all systems functioning, all the humans in stasis fine, but all the humans assigned to be awake to manage the ship having gone down on shuttles to a nearby planet. She must bravely determine what to do and solve complex puzzles to save the humans on board the ship.

Tamar, a scientist working on next generation AI robots has embedded her complex, data-heavy ecological systems analysis to help determine how to keep ecosystems balanced and functioning. The AI’s combine biological parts with quantum computing, and Tamar realizes in her work that one of the AI’s, named Chaya, is particularly sentient, and very likely “alive.” In a moment of bonding over their shared loneliness, she introduces Chaya to the game Homebound.

Centuries later, Chaya is looking after two young Jewish refugees who have come along up North to find Lieutenant Cal when she returns to Earth. Chaya struggles to separate centuries of lost personal memories from those of the AI collective and those experiences with Tamar. Tamar for payment agrees to transport them to the very Northern reaches.

In this quest, all become deeply, touchingly connected, heartbreak merges with optimism, and the game story weaves together both past and future.

Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

[Katielase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a beautiful piece of speculative fiction on loneliness, connection, belonging and what it means to be human. It's set across three different times, the 1980s, the near-ish future and the far future, and each storyline is individually compelling, the characters really drew me in, I was so invested in them so quickly.

To me most of all it's a story about human connection, and the longing we have for it. Despite the wildly different lives of the characters, they were all searching for a sense of belonging, a feeling of community and care that felt poignant and lovely, and reminded me of the value of human connection.

The way technology is woven into this book is fascinating, the video game is beautifully done and was one of the my favourite parts of the book to read, because it really did feel like I was playing along and desperately trying to understand the right thing to do, the right answer to give or the right action to take. And that's so much of what life feels like. But also the way this book interacts with scientific progress, especially regarding AI and the sentient 'Ayes' is so clever and so thought-provoking, it raises questions around what it means to be human and questions around how we view our world and our planet. Is it a finite resource that can be thrown away as we fly off into space leaving it behind, or do we invest in fixing the planet we have? And how much do we really understand about how ecosystems work, how the natural world of our planet works?

It was just a beautiful book to read, and one that raised questions that will sit with me for a long time.

[Jesse Aragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard to describe this book because it’s so unlike much else I’ve read. It’s told through multiple timelines and mixed media, and doesn’t have a linear plot so much as character development. The character development is the plot, basically. It’s a very quiet, intimate book, and one that will stay with me for a long time.

The writing is understated and beautiful, with a lot of lines that hit like a punch to the gut. The very last paragraph PROBABLY would have made me cry if I weren’t in public.

Also, I liked the robot? Unusual for me. I don’t normally like robots. The scifi worldbuilding was pretty light, very accessible and drip fed throughout the narrative.

It’s the exact book I needed to read right now, with the world in crisis. This isn’t a “plot to save the world” book. It’s about people carving out a life for themselves anyway, because the most important things—stories, people, memories—will always be there as long as we are. It’s a book about how we love something we’re losing, or that we’ve already lost. It depicts a future world that’s not the greatest, but manages to feel hopeful nonetheless. Because of that, I think this book really earns its comparison to Station Eleven, and I DO NOT say that lightly.

Highly recommend.

[Kylie Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received an ARC of this book from Scribner in exchange for an honest review*

This book had a lot of potential to be a really solid sci-fi novel, but it missed a few big marks for me. The overall message about finding your purpose and the importance of community was profound and was the shining light of this book. However, besides Becks, I found the character development extremely lacking. Some of the other characters and their relationships to each other needed more fleshing out. Especially towards the end of the novel, I found myself doubting some of the choices Yesiko was making because we didn’t have enough time to see her develop attachments to Shula, Tov, and Chaya. I liked the multiple storylines, but those, too, needed more time to reveal how they all connected. I don’t think we got enough of a solid through line from Becks’s time to Yeskio’s time. I’m still giving this book 3 stars because I did enjoy it towards the end, but it was slow going with little satisfaction from the start.

[Katy Wheatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A multiple time line, split narrative story that ranges from 1983 to six hundred years in the future. In 1983 Becks is a teenager, bereft at the loss of her beloved uncle to a disease nobody wants to talk about and dealt a double blow by the breakdown of her relationship with her best friend. As she attempts to piece her world back together, she discovers a message from her uncle that includes the beginnings of a computer game he urges her to finish in his memory. Spooling forward it is sometimes hard to decode what is real and what is imagined, what is game and what is life, but in the end, what does it matter as long as the story is true to itself? This took me a little while to get into but when it clicked for me and I surrendered to the story, I absolutely loved it. Tender, smart and thoughtful. If you loved Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and want something that scratches the same itch, this is it.

[Memoree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! I was wowed by Elan's ability to write about times so far apart, from the 1980s to 2587, while still keeping each time familiar and human. There are parts of this book that are simply a game that's being played, chapters that are prompts and responses. This sort of thing could be boring, after all you're reading a computer game, but it was so interesting! I loved these chapters and wanted to know what happened. The game then becomes the thread, the common link through centuries of time. The book feels almost like reading a great mystery novel, propelling you hungrily forward to understand what happened. It is a wonderful ode to love and humanity, even when humans are fallible and making terrible decisions, something crucial to keep in mind these days. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel and I am envious of Elan's writing prowess. I look forward to more from her in the future.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily a new favourite for me, 2026 is starting off with a bang! This reminded me of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow crossed with Sea of Tranquility but with a story that is uniquely all its own.

In Homebound you follow four characters across time, all connected by a single video game. It’s a lot more than just a video game though, it’s a message of hope for finding love and family even during the harder parts of life.

The multiple perspectives and time skips never got confusing for me, the author did an excellent job of separating out the narratives in a way that felt natural and engaging.

This was a phenomenal debut, one that had me staying up way too late, crying and frantically turning pages until the end. I was completely absorbed in Homebound and I absolutely loved it!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does new technology change what it means to be human is the question at the heart of this book.

There are three main timelines and in each there is a new technology explored. Once as an expert, once as someone learning how it works and once as a user. The technologies change as do the perspectives all of which brings into focus that as humans have a need to use whatever tools we have to better understand ourselves.

This is brought out by each main character struggling with the boundaries of love. Whether that boundary is distance, between humans and machines or even between life and death.

I particularly enjoyed the play through of a text based adventure game that is the centrepiece of the ideas explored. It works really well as it’s so compelling and shows the power of the imagination.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the arc

[Hannah Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I enjoyed this? It’s a lovely multi-timeline novel exploring family, identity, the environment and our place in the world. It’s quite sci-fi in places which isn’t usually to my taste, but it was engaging and well written.

I found the 2500s timeline was a bit too heavily focused on for my liking, as if we’re being honest, nothing really happens. They go on a quest which doesn’t turn out to reveal anything, so I felt like I was investing in no big pay-off, no big reveal, no revelation about the characters. A nice enough book, but I think I wanted more plot from such a high-concept story.

[Louisa Giddings · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have got to chapter 3 and that’s it I have just given up. I don’t like sci-fi literature anyway but I thought I would give this ago. Unfortunately, it did not impress me. It just sounds like every other sci-fi book set in the future. For some reason writers have this inability to think that the future we will be better than now. They all do the same and take us back to a time were we had nothing and no one had any money and children are abandoned by there parents. I think this one is the worse yet as all the adults are on some kind of drug. So what the world comes to an end because adults are on drugs nope to predictable. DNF

[Payal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This utterly beautiful novel is sci-fi/spec-fic set across three timelines, in the 20th, 21st and 25th centuries. A great example of character-based storytelling as well. It lagged a bit in the middle, and was a bit confusing in parts, but the writing was smooth, the settings (especially on water) atmospheric and immersive, which kept me reading. I also found the take on sentient AIs—called Ayes—intriguing. Loved that the main characters were older, and how queerness was casually woven in.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow crossed paths with Murderbot and Firefly and the result had Ministry of Time vibes, then you must read Homebound. Told over three different timelines that later merge, these characters will root deep within you as one questions how humanity connects, even beyond the boundaries of time.

[Michelle Hite · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I wanted to say that this is not my normal genre, so please take that into consideration when reading the review. I had a very hard time with the first section of the book. There was a lot going on, and I was extremely confused as to how it all connected. But I pushed through it and was glad I did. What a great story. It contains so many valuable lessons. Highly recommend.

[Kirsten King · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning, sweeping novel about all that connects (and disconnects) us. This book is equal parts optimistic and heartbreaking – Portia Elan perfectly captures our deepest impulses as humans and stories we tell ourselves to survive. I loved every moment.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emily St. John Mandel fans rejoice, because this is the book for you! It was a bit of a mixed bag for me, but it's the kind of book that I think a lot of other people will enjoy.

Full review to come closer to publication.

[Linda]

I am so excited as I managed to get an ARC for this one & not a digital version but a real live arrive in my mail box version-squee! I have gotten so used to net-galley & digital copies that when I saw the notification from USPS I had a package in the mailbox I almost couldn’t believe it 😊

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can a book talk about so many complex topics and still manage to be graciously written? Homebound was one of my favorite reads of 2025 and it touched a sensitive fiber in my soul. It’s filled with yearning for home and yet filled with hope at the same time. You must add this to your TBR!

[Laura Matar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feel very lucky to have stumbled on this one. Can’t wait to see what Portia Elan does next!

[Nancy Taber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastically imaginative novel. Highly recommend. Beautiful relationships with an immersive 1980s storytelling game at its centre.

[Sarah Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extraordinary book review to follow