From PEN-Faulkner Award winner Kate Christensen, “Welcome Home, Stranger” is a witty and emotionally resonant novel about returning home after your mother’s death. Fifty-something environmental journalist Rachel reluctantly leaves her independent life in DC to confront her past in Maine. As she navigates family drama, buried sorrows, and the complicated love of her life, Rachel must grapple with the legacy of a difficult mother and the challenges of finding peace. This compelling story, praised by Richard Russo and Ann Packer, explores grief, growing older, and the struggle to reconcile personal ambition with community. A poignant exploration of confronting the past to build a new future.