Elkink, Deb. Vagabond Come Home: Collected Stories of the Wayfarer’s Return. Elkwater, Alberta: Rolled Scroll Press, 2024.

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Summary

Fourteen fiction stories capture the mood of travelers at crisis points along their spiritual road, their souls yearning for connection, redemption, belonging.

• An American tutor in 1970s’ Japan, disenchanted with love and the faith he once embraced, plunges into Kyoto’s pantheistic culture.
• Aging ex-pat Dolores tours a Mexican mummy museum to face the fear that drove her from family and the grace that calls her back.
• In the South of France on a quest for more than souvenirs, T.C. encounters the occult despite warnings by Great-Uncle Elroy, a cartographer whose map of Montpellier cautions her against straying from the safe and true path.

Infused with lyrical prose and profound insight, the collection encompasses the essence of homecoming through tales that resonate with readers who have felt the pull of distant destinations or the longing for a place to call home. Each narrative not only entertains but also, through study questions, invites deeper reflection on the truths underlying our shared human experience.

Readers of literary fiction with a theological twist will enjoy the adventure, symbolism, and provocative depth of these stories set around the world.

Purchase Vagabond Come Home on Amazon – https://amzn.to/3UQGKXV

My Adult Review

“Wet” Beth has been called home on the death of her remaining parent. She had escaped the “wet” humidity of her homeland and now has to return to take care of things, including her disabled brother.

“Clanging Symbols” from Dancing in the Rain – The mid-seventies were a difficult time for many. In “Changing Symbols” Deb Elkink focuses on a recent college grad who sets out to find himself. Doran isn’t sure what he believes and goes to Japan to find the peace and tranquility of the Japanese people. His job while in Japan is to tutor a young man so that he can pass his English exams. Along the way he is challenged to the return to the Christian faith he previously committed to. 

“Changing Symbols” could also be considered a reconciliation or prodigal story. 

“Ever Greening” from Hope is Born –  “Ever Greening” is a redemption story. Holly is a single, never-been married, mom of a teen. She lost her mom and brother when she was young in a drunk driving accident in which her father was the driver. She turned her back on her faith and on the community where she grew up. Her aunt and uncle come to visit her every year at Christmas. Through the most recent visit, Holly starts to turn back to her faith and to consider the possibility of returning to her hometown for a visit. 

“Appearing” I’d love to see this story fleshed out into a longer novella or novel. It feels like just the start of a really great story. Dale works at a salon. Lucinda is not the owner but acts like it. She also acts like she knows best about and puts down others. Tiffany is the owner but stays in the background, yet she acts like Jesus for Dale.

“Thaw” Two friends travel to Turkey. One is struggling to recover from a loss in her. It takes visiting a Muslim mosque for prayer for her to remember that everyone has faith in something and to remember where her faith used to be. +

“Steeped” – Madison is a new bride from an urban setting. Her husband decides to return to his roots and run the family farm. Madison learns to live with her mother-in-law and become more accepting of her ways that seemed unsophisticated at first. 

“Blue Genes” from Before Summer’s End – [I did not do an individual review]

“Scrabbling” from A Thrill in the Air – Two friends – if you can still call them that. One is still overcome with guilt at a stupid mistake she made years ago that left Kristen in a wheelchair. Kristen came to grips with her life a long time ago and has forgiven Taylor. A Christmas eve scrabble marathon is their annual gathering. Kristen can’t be left alone and all the other residents of her group home have a place for the holidays so Taylor spends the evening with her so that the caregivers can have the evening with their families. The words they spell with the letters they end up with show so much about what is in their hearts. Can Kristen help Taylor to forgive herself?

“In the Belly” Jo is dealing with a lot of pain, both emotional and physical. Her father, who left for another woman years ago, also left her with a painful disease she must learn to live with. In an attempt to escape, Jo flees on a tourist trip that ends up with her in the belly of a ship. This is one of those stories that appears to be written to make the reader think. 

“Delivery” An older man is spending his time reminiscing about his years of marriage as he sits by the side of his dying wife. Time to think about what is really important in life. 

“Repotting” Myra is repotting a pot-pound fig tree while providing respite care for her grandson who is dying. A great vignette which will make readers think. 

“Reconstituted” from Song of Grace – Dolores seems fixated on death and sadness. What will turn her heart back to joy?

“Taste Budding” from All Things New – Deb Elkink has a way of making her readers think and dig for what she is getting at, in a good way. This story is a fable that looks at the mutilation of young girls for the “benefit” of men. She does it in a tasteful way, using the fable format and the analogy of a chef and taste buds. She has a character who has left this world behind to follow the Chef and His ways. 

“The Curious Tourist” Many have dabbled in the occult, whether it be an ouija board or a seance or something similar. We may even have been sucked in, not knowing there was a problem with the practice. Terra Celeste travels to her great uncle in France. He warns her of the darker side of the city but she doesn’t take heed. She is sucked in by a new friend and has to make a decision. In many ways I found “The Curious Tourist” to be a bit of a cautionary tale. 

Elkink is a writer who likes to make her readers think. Her stories are not ones to get lost in for the purpose of enjoyment but to get you to think about the message in the story. In this anthology, Elkink ends each story with some literary elements to consider, as well as references to literary classics and the Bible. These would probably make great stories for a literary book club. 

Vagabond Come Home is a collection of short stories written for adults. I did not find anything in the book to keep it from being added to a K-12 Christian school library. It is probably most appropriate for high school students. 

I received a complimentary copy of Vagabond Come Home. This is my honest review.

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