Come Back To The World
Catherine Ryan Hyde
297 pages
Published May 5, 2026
Lake Union Publishing
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Come Back To The World is the latest offering from Catherine Ryan Hyde, who I would list as one of my favourite authors. Twice a year, she publishes a new story that is usually gentle, heartwarming and thought-provoking, featuring extraordinary young people, loveable animals and intriguing moral dilemmas. This one had most of the usual elements, but it didn’t move me the way her books normally do, and while it was still a quick easy read, it’s probably the one of hers I’ve liked the least, mainly because I didn’t like either of the two adult protagonists.
Amelia Booker has spent much of her career studying the work of the mysterious EL Swann, who published one bestselling literary novel in the 80s, then disappeared. Now working as a journalist to support her young son Jaden after her divorce, she remains obsessed with finding her, so when friends report a possible sighting in a small Mexican town, she sets off to track her down. The elderly woman she finds is not happy to be disturbed after a life of solitude, but forms an unexpected attachment to 7 year old Jaden, so allows them to stay, beginning a relationship which will change all their lives.
I think the problem here was that my expectations have been raised too high by this author’s previous wonderful books. Usually they focus on a child or young adult, whereas the main characters here were pretty awful – Amelia is manipulative, selfish and passive-aggressive, single-mindedly hunting down someone she knows doesn’t want to be found to satisfy her own curiosity, and quite happy to use her child to get what she wants. Meanwhile Ella is prickly, arrogant and self-absorbed, but at least it made her interesting. The other thing that frustrated me was despite all the references to her one supposedly amazing book – The Third Labyrinth, we never get a single clue as to what it was about or why it resonated with so many readers and became an instant classic.
Despite these complaints, I’m still giving this four stars – really it’s 3.5 rounded up for the ending (and the donkey!) If you love CRH you’ll probably still enjoy it, but if you’ve never tried her before, I’d recommend reading one of her other books instead. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
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