Home/Land: A Memoir of Departure and Return

In this newest work, journalist Mead (My Life in Middlemarch) examines the various places she has called home. Mead was born in London and raised in Weymouth, where she never quite felt comfortable, so she was glad to leave for university. She moved to New York in her early 20s and lived there for 30 years, but in the wake of the 2016 election, she, her husband, and son moved back to the United Kingdom. She describes New York as a changeable home: in Manhattan she rented her first apartments and began her career; in Brooklyn she experienced marriage, family life and professional success. Mead’s experience of London, as a married parent and accomplished writer, felt different than it did when she was a student and brought about a host of adjustments. Mead reflects on what it means to become a citizen of a different country as an adult. Beyond personal identity, she also explores the impact of the geological, physical, and architectural makeup of a place on a national or regional identity.