What do you think?
Rate this book
Twenty in 2020
Are We Home Yet?
Spanning the years from 1935 to 2010, Are We Home Yet? is the moving and funny story of a girl and her mother.
As a girl, Katy accidently discovers her mother is earning money as a sex worker at the family home, rupturing their bond. As an adult, Katy contends with grief and mental health challenges before she and her mother attempt to heal their relationship. From Canada, to Leeds and Jamaica, and exploring shame, immigration and class, the pair share their stories but struggle to understand each other’s choices in a fast-changing world.
By revealing their truths, can these two strong women call a truce on their hostilities and overcome the oppressive ghosts of the past?
As a girl, Katy accidently discovers her mother is earning money as a sex worker at the family home, rupturing their bond. As an adult, Katy contends with grief and mental health challenges before she and her mother attempt to heal their relationship. From Canada, to Leeds and Jamaica, and exploring shame, immigration and class, the pair share their stories but struggle to understand each other’s choices in a fast-changing world.
By revealing their truths, can these two strong women call a truce on their hostilities and overcome the oppressive ghosts of the past?
254 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2020
5 people are currently reading
391 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 9, 2020
I absolutely loved this book. In fact, I hoovered it up in just two days. It's a memoir about growing up in Leeds in the 70s and 80s in a single parent family and the quest to find answers to unanswered questions - of heritage, of where you fit, of why your mum suddenly has plenty of male visitors and money to spend and of other, ordinary yet extraordinary twists and turns of family life.
The voice is beautifully authentic, restrained where necessary and always respectful of the rich cast of characters. It is searching without being self-indulgent, warm without being sentimental and wise without being preachy. It also tells hard truths about the racism of the time and the gender stereotypes that ran deep through society. The passages about the author's time at a minor-league private school and her accounts of the brothel where she worked as a receptionist are particularly well done.
I would strongly recommend this book, both as a crackingly-good story and an important text in a less-documented area of literature, namely working class history, sex work and post war British history. I will follow this author with interest, this book is an absolute gem!
The voice is beautifully authentic, restrained where necessary and always respectful of the rich cast of characters. It is searching without being self-indulgent, warm without being sentimental and wise without being preachy. It also tells hard truths about the racism of the time and the gender stereotypes that ran deep through society. The passages about the author's time at a minor-league private school and her accounts of the brothel where she worked as a receptionist are particularly well done.
I would strongly recommend this book, both as a crackingly-good story and an important text in a less-documented area of literature, namely working class history, sex work and post war British history. I will follow this author with interest, this book is an absolute gem!
September 29, 2022
I enjoyed this… a biography which reads like a novel
November 19, 2023
Written very reflectively. I feel like writing this memoir was probably therapeutic for her; it was emitting healing vibes to the reader too.
December 21, 2021
The themes of belonging, identity and the search for a ‘home’ (or the meaning of home?) are of great personal importance to me, so the title sold this memoir to me. In it, Massey recounts how she grew up as the only Black girl in a white family, neighbourhood and school. She also explores the experience of accidentally discovering that her mother supported them by the means of sex work in the family home. The memoir is written from a time in her life when she is visiting her mother much later in her life. This attempt to reconnect with each other results in unraveling old struggles with grief, mental health, immigration and class in between Canada, Leeds and Jamaica.
Overall, I liked this book and thought it was quite representative of the challenges isolated racialised people encounter in the UK (and probably even more so decades ago as this story spans from 1935 to 2010). However, both the writing style and the ‘plot’ fell kind of flat for me. Maybe it is because I have already read so many books telling similar stories before this one (I had read Girl, Woman, Other and Americanah as well as Good Immigrant not long before this one), but I didn’t learn anything new from this book. Now, as this is a memoir, its task of course isn’t necessarily to teach you something. In comparison with other books, though, I wouldn’t give a definite recommendation for this one.
Overall, I liked this book and thought it was quite representative of the challenges isolated racialised people encounter in the UK (and probably even more so decades ago as this story spans from 1935 to 2010). However, both the writing style and the ‘plot’ fell kind of flat for me. Maybe it is because I have already read so many books telling similar stories before this one (I had read Girl, Woman, Other and Americanah as well as Good Immigrant not long before this one), but I didn’t learn anything new from this book. Now, as this is a memoir, its task of course isn’t necessarily to teach you something. In comparison with other books, though, I wouldn’t give a definite recommendation for this one.
January 18, 2021
I met Katy at a workshop some time ago and found her to be warm, intelligent & fun. So although I very rarely read memoirs, I bought hers - and I’m glad I did.
Katy takes you on her journey, told from both her heart & her head’s perspective, using humour in some of the most touching & sad parts - a unique talent in itself.
She also uses her observations, her ability to self-reflect, her resilience contrasted with her vulnerability, evoking feelings within me that I never even knew existed.
And it’s a story that NEEDS to be told.
As a BAME Person of Colour, from a Northern working-class background, I connected with Katy because, although her story is different from mine, there are parts that resonate completely.
She has a gift of evoking empathy which wasn’t lost on me.
Katy Massey is a gem and ‘Are We Home Yet?’ deserves recognition and awards.
Katy takes you on her journey, told from both her heart & her head’s perspective, using humour in some of the most touching & sad parts - a unique talent in itself.
She also uses her observations, her ability to self-reflect, her resilience contrasted with her vulnerability, evoking feelings within me that I never even knew existed.
And it’s a story that NEEDS to be told.
As a BAME Person of Colour, from a Northern working-class background, I connected with Katy because, although her story is different from mine, there are parts that resonate completely.
She has a gift of evoking empathy which wasn’t lost on me.
Katy Massey is a gem and ‘Are We Home Yet?’ deserves recognition and awards.
April 6, 2021
3.5 This memoir had moments that shined and moments where the narrative went astray. The end, in particular seemed a little like falling off a small cliff, abrupt and untidy. I kept wanting more at various points in the book.
July 23, 2022
Consuming reflection on her childhood - it just glossed over a few too many of the big questions to get 4 stars.
September 27, 2020
This memoir charts author Katy Massey's extraordinary early life, woven deftly with more contemporary explorations of her relationship with her mother in a pattern that perfectly reflects the emotional pushes and pulls of her life. Discovering as a child that her mother was operating as a sex worker from the family home, her need to keep this shocking fact a secret infuses her childhood and adolescence with a complicated mixture of fear, loyalty and love. The author evokes wonderfully her tender and loving relationship with her two much older brothers, sadly marred by tragedy, the challenges of growing up as a mixed race child in 1970s Yorkshire, and the contrasts between her largely cosy home life and the chilly restrictions of boarding school. I was left with a sense of the author's loving nature and ability to see humour in even the most difficult situations. Beautifully written, this is a wonderful and unusual memoir with a level of self-awareness and humanity that reminds me of Diana Athill. Highly recommended.
October 28, 2020
I actually selected this book by judging the cover, something we’re all guilty on, but know we shouldn’t do. I didn’t read the description, I was just intrigued by the illustrations.
This memoir is the life of Katy, a mixed-race girl being born into a white family being brought up in Leeds by her single Mother with two older brothers in the 70’s.
The book addresses many challenges in Katy’s life from race, relationships, boarding school, mental health and tragedy.
Katy’s life changed when she come home from school to find her mother ‘entertaining’ a client. As time goes on, Katy seems to accept her mothers job as a sex worker as she gets older, she appreciates that she does what she can to provide for her family.
Katy learns to tolerate her Mother as she grows up, she wants to learn more of her heritage to find where she belongs, in Leeds or Jamaica?
Thank you to NetGalley and Jacaranda Books for the ARC
This memoir is the life of Katy, a mixed-race girl being born into a white family being brought up in Leeds by her single Mother with two older brothers in the 70’s.
The book addresses many challenges in Katy’s life from race, relationships, boarding school, mental health and tragedy.
Katy’s life changed when she come home from school to find her mother ‘entertaining’ a client. As time goes on, Katy seems to accept her mothers job as a sex worker as she gets older, she appreciates that she does what she can to provide for her family.
Katy learns to tolerate her Mother as she grows up, she wants to learn more of her heritage to find where she belongs, in Leeds or Jamaica?
Thank you to NetGalley and Jacaranda Books for the ARC
January 11, 2022
An interesting autobiography of a mixed-race girl brought up by a single white mother in Leeds in the 70s and 80s.
She had a challenging upbringing - an absent father who died at a later date, a step father who didn't last long, two older white brothers and her strong-willed mother who gave up her secretarial job to become a sex worker in their home!!
She was sent to boarding school in Yorkshire near Robin hood's Bay which was another challenge as she was racially bullied for some time which was ignored by the teachers until her mother wrote to the head to sort it out.
The story was read by the author so the accent is authentic.
The author isn't a famous person writing their story but rather an ordinary person sharing a challenging story of her life as part of her creative writing dissertation for a PhD in memoir and autobiography.
It is a reflection of growing up in England at this time and a lot of her memories of the country at the time are similar to mine .
She had a challenging upbringing - an absent father who died at a later date, a step father who didn't last long, two older white brothers and her strong-willed mother who gave up her secretarial job to become a sex worker in their home!!
She was sent to boarding school in Yorkshire near Robin hood's Bay which was another challenge as she was racially bullied for some time which was ignored by the teachers until her mother wrote to the head to sort it out.
The story was read by the author so the accent is authentic.
The author isn't a famous person writing their story but rather an ordinary person sharing a challenging story of her life as part of her creative writing dissertation for a PhD in memoir and autobiography.
It is a reflection of growing up in England at this time and a lot of her memories of the country at the time are similar to mine .
February 15, 2021
A brilliant story, with moments of great humour, of Katy's tough, emotionally difficult relationship with her Mother who in her own way loves Katy. Brought up in Leeds, Katy, a mixed race child, experiences and challenges racism. Mum is a madam of a Leeds brothel where Katy meets 21stcentury working class women working to support their families in a safe environment and who show kindness towards her.
Katy credits the women at the Aristotle brothel, and especially her Mum for for the character she is today.
This book also shows the poverty and desperate actions poor women have to take in rich Britain which describes itself as a first world country.
An excellent read and education. Makes me feel ashamed to call myself British.
I totally admire Jacaranda for supporting black writers and writers who educate us about those who Britain continually and unashamedly ignores.
Katy credits the women at the Aristotle brothel, and especially her Mum for for the character she is today.
This book also shows the poverty and desperate actions poor women have to take in rich Britain which describes itself as a first world country.
An excellent read and education. Makes me feel ashamed to call myself British.
I totally admire Jacaranda for supporting black writers and writers who educate us about those who Britain continually and unashamedly ignores.
November 17, 2020
Jacaranda have published this as a part of their 20 in 2020 initiative which is where they publish 20 books by black authors in...yes! In 2020 😊Are We Home Yet? is a memoir by Katy Massey, and focuses on her experiences as a mixed race girl in Leeds in the 80s/ 90s. At a very young age, Massey finds out her mum’s a prostitute. How this affects her and her mum’s relationship, amongst many other factors is really interesting to read about, particularly as their relationship can be very tumultuous but also endearing. It’s clear they love each other but it’s difficult for them to express this sometimes. I felt like a lot of the people in Massey’s life were very selfish people (I don’t want to judge at all but just a personal opinion from what I read!) and I did find it quite inspiring, as well as relatable to see how she dealt and reacted to various circumstances. ⠀
⠀
My only criticism is that I don’t think that the book really offers anything new in terms of different perspectives on issues such as weight struggles, depression and race however I also don’t think it’s meant to? I mean it is a memoir so she’s just speaking off of her own personal experiences, but if you are looking for something more enlightening on these topics, I personally wouldn’t say my eyes have been particularly opened. However, I do think it’s a very relatable story and a lot of people will be able to find themselves in Massey. ⠀
⠀
My only criticism is that I don’t think that the book really offers anything new in terms of different perspectives on issues such as weight struggles, depression and race however I also don’t think it’s meant to? I mean it is a memoir so she’s just speaking off of her own personal experiences, but if you are looking for something more enlightening on these topics, I personally wouldn’t say my eyes have been particularly opened. However, I do think it’s a very relatable story and a lot of people will be able to find themselves in Massey. ⠀
November 17, 2020
This is an incredibly touching and warm memoir of a childhood spent building an identity while negotiating racism, sexism, classism, mental health issues and grief. This happens in the house she grew up in in 70s/80s Leeds, with her otherwise white family, where sex work was unsuccessfully hidden from her, and then in the boarding school she escapes to, and all the way through her journey of self discovery to Canada and Jamaica, and back to her mum's house in Leeds.
I love Massey's observations of feeling like an - often willing - outsider when she's as English (and Leeds) as Marks and Spencer. She's an unsentimental observer, and what she describes is often difficult, but the love and warmth for the places and people around her always comes through in the writing.
I love Massey's observations of feeling like an - often willing - outsider when she's as English (and Leeds) as Marks and Spencer. She's an unsentimental observer, and what she describes is often difficult, but the love and warmth for the places and people around her always comes through in the writing.
November 30, 2020
Shimmering storytelling which moves backwards and forwards over time, revealing the impact of events and experiences on the writer from multiple perspectives. The story is revealed gradually with vignettes adding to the bigger picture. It’s emotionally vivid and comically observed, bringing time, place and people to life. It tells more than one story. There's the daughter who makes a life-changing discovery about her mother and reveals its impact on her life, a mixed race girl growing up in a white family, not speaking and daring to speak what has remained unspoken. We hear the mother's story from her own lips and from her daughter's perspective. I'm going to choose it, when it's my turn, for my book group.
September 30, 2020
A gripping true story; poignant, real and funny, and a beautiful literary style.
This is a fascinating journey into a real-life story and succeeds in taking the reader through vital themes such as identity, class and family; a feminist tale with two strong women at the centre. I found the writing honest and funny; it has a vitality and mordant humour that kept me wanting to read on, and throughout the book retains a striking visual and filmic quality. A highly recommended read that succeeds in conveying the stories of ordinary lives that are often difficult and sometimes taboo, whilst managing to maintain an exciting narrative drive that is beautifully written and full of humanity.
This is a fascinating journey into a real-life story and succeeds in taking the reader through vital themes such as identity, class and family; a feminist tale with two strong women at the centre. I found the writing honest and funny; it has a vitality and mordant humour that kept me wanting to read on, and throughout the book retains a striking visual and filmic quality. A highly recommended read that succeeds in conveying the stories of ordinary lives that are often difficult and sometimes taboo, whilst managing to maintain an exciting narrative drive that is beautifully written and full of humanity.
October 26, 2020
Katy Massey's delicately handled memoir of the often fraught relationship with her white mother is profoundly moving and often very funny. Massey tells her story in alternating chapters from her 70s childhood in Leeds - much of which as another working class northerner raised in the 70s I could relate to directly - through to present day, and covers the shattering of her sense of self when she discovers her mother works as a prostitute from their family home to her time as the sole girl of colour in a ramshackle private school on the Yorkshire moors, to family tragedy and mental ill health. Full of heart and humour, what rises through it is is resilience and love. Highly recommended.
January 25, 2021
I kinda knew I was going to love this because I used to live and work in Leeds and I work at MASH charity. But I don’t think I expected to fall in love with Katy’s evocative writing style and storytelling quite so much. I whizzed through this gorgeous memoir and I also didn't want to end. Just like Kit De Waal’s quote said, this book has made its way into my heart. Katy’s voice and the way she observes and describes her experiences are totally unique. Once again I am so grateful to Jacaranda’s #Twentyin2020 scheme for bringing this important book into our lives and bookshelves. I love it. Do read it.
May 15, 2021
The story intrigued me, not the main narrative, but the underlying question of why the mental fractures in the family.
Massey covers a number of issues: prostitution, boarding school, religion (from Catholicism to Jehovahs), the effects of immigration (from Canada), refugees (Jewish, from Germany and Austria), death, grief and the (non-fictive) story is engaging. Her reflection on British racism (particularly chapter 38 and the end of chapter 43 - the chapters are, btw, very short) is gently searing.
There was just something about the writing style which felt jerky.
Well worth reading. Recommended.
Massey covers a number of issues: prostitution, boarding school, religion (from Catholicism to Jehovahs), the effects of immigration (from Canada), refugees (Jewish, from Germany and Austria), death, grief and the (non-fictive) story is engaging. Her reflection on British racism (particularly chapter 38 and the end of chapter 43 - the chapters are, btw, very short) is gently searing.
There was just something about the writing style which felt jerky.
Well worth reading. Recommended.
November 13, 2020
An absorbing read that explores the relationship between the author and her white mother - and the impact of discovering that her mother was a sex worker.
Cutting between the present day and the author's childhood in 1970s Leeds, this is a memoir, so well structured, it pulls you forward through the narrative as though it were a thriller.
It's a tough read at times, but there is no self-pity here. And plenty of humour.
Are We Home Yet? is brilliantly written, and brilliantly told. I recommend it.
Cutting between the present day and the author's childhood in 1970s Leeds, this is a memoir, so well structured, it pulls you forward through the narrative as though it were a thriller.
It's a tough read at times, but there is no self-pity here. And plenty of humour.
Are We Home Yet? is brilliantly written, and brilliantly told. I recommend it.
October 6, 2020
What a lovely book ! Katy should be so proud. A brave and powerful account of these difficult subjects . Books like these do a lot of good by opening people 's eyes to real life beyond their own experience or if it's not beyond their experience then by validating them. My only grumble is that I wanted it to be longer !
November 27, 2020
A very beautiful and affecting exploration of race, identity, and class following the author's childhood in Leeds, carrying the secret that her single mother turned to sex work to support her and her brothers. The timeline is a bit scattershot so it takes some getting used to, but I really enjoyed Massey's well-crafted voice.
July 30, 2021
𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦: 𝑝𝑖𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑢𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑠
✰᪥𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬♪✩
.
.
I don't know what to write. It's painful, heart-wrenching, but also filled with hope and warmth that spread from your head to the tips of your toes. Katy did a wonderfully clear and lucid journey of her life, she wrote from her heart and left no stone unturned.
✰᪥𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬♪✩
.
.
I don't know what to write. It's painful, heart-wrenching, but also filled with hope and warmth that spread from your head to the tips of your toes. Katy did a wonderfully clear and lucid journey of her life, she wrote from her heart and left no stone unturned.
May 20, 2021
I love a good memoir and this was a good memoir. What an interesting read. Katy Massey explores race, class and identity by way of the story of her relationship with her mother (a sex worker), absent father, and her step-brothers. Recommended read.
May 25, 2021
Interesting
November 10, 2024
Homespun and heartfelt
July 4, 2021
This book was amazing!
I read this as I’m reading the shortlisted books for the Jhalak Prize this month and I was not disappointed.
This deeply moving story of a mother daughter relationship is wonderful and profound. It’s also very upsetting in parts.
Content Warnings: Racism and Racist Terminology. Depression and Suicide.
A very important book
I read this as I’m reading the shortlisted books for the Jhalak Prize this month and I was not disappointed.
This deeply moving story of a mother daughter relationship is wonderful and profound. It’s also very upsetting in parts.
Content Warnings: Racism and Racist Terminology. Depression and Suicide.
A very important book
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews