Daniel C. Davis examines and explains what home means to him in his engrossing memoir, THE QUEST HOME. The book begins with a resonant poem that ends with the lines, “Home will take care of you / and never take a day off.” This immediately sets the tone for Davis to share the intentional work he and his family have put into creating a home where they feel safe and loved.
Davis opens his book with three childhood lessons from his father, mother, and Uncle Kenny that form the foundation of what home means to him: protection, love, and practiced hospitality. Progressing from core memories of the author’s childhood, the narration transitions to his adult life with him getting married, buying a townhouse, learning to prioritize relationship over routine, deciding to try for a child, the eventual birth of his son, experiencing the beauty of family gatherings, coping with the loss of his mother, and learning to move forward and keep building despite the setback.
Davis offers practical, applicable insight into steps he and his family have taken to create this much-desired home, such as welcome home embraces, regular check-ins to understand how everyone’s doing (including things as seemingly small as how the day went), regular dates with his wife, leaving routine to see each other anew, etc. The later chapters unpack the grief of losing a loved one suddenly, as he receives a call from his sister informing him that the mother he just dropped off at the airport about twelve hours ago has passed away. He tries to push on for his family but soon unravels; and this so happens to be what he needs to bridge the widening gap that forms between him and his wife as he tries to navigate the consuming loss.
Throughout, Davis maintains a conversational and warm voice, sharing anecdotes and reflections while moving from specific scenes to explicit takeaways. Visiting Uncle Kenny and Aunt Vicki, he realizes that “home is not a destination you arrive at but a relationship you cultivate.” Every chapter is episodic and thematic, bearing headings such as Vacation, Fear, Becoming Three, The Family House, Grief, etc.—making events easy to follow. However, the focus on the narrator’s interior perspective means that some secondary relationships remain thin, with secondary characters functioning more as exemplars and plot devices. Also, while the book progresses in a steady and straightforward format, focusing on the central message of what home is, this limits the inclusion of details. For instance, the story transitions from the three foundational lessons he learned to his sitting in a sterile conference room and signing a mortgage agreement for the townhouse with a wife who suddenly appears. For readers unfamiliar with his other works (in which he introduces her), this can feel jarring.
Nevertheless, THE QUEST HOME is insightful and sincere in sharing how to deliberately build a household that embodies love.
Daniel C. Davis’s THE QUEST HOME is a fluid contemporary memoir that offers practical takeaways for relationship maintenance.
~ Gabriella Harrison for IndieReader