I had a bit of a complicated journey to read I'll Come to You (view spoiler), but I'm glad I persevered, because it was a really engrossing read.

It's a novel told from several perspectives over the course of a year (1995) in the lives of an extended American family, featuring an ensemble cast, rather than any single protagonist or main character.

Ellen is a recently divorced older woman who works as a school bus driver in or near Chicago. She's just agreed to go on a blind date with Gary, but it doesn't look like their relationship is likely to go anywhere.
Ellen's son Paul and his wife Corinne have recently conceived a child, due in the second half of the year.

Corinne's mother Janet and father Bruce are both looking forward to the arrival of their third grandchild, but Janet is preoccupied with Bruce's health, as he's exhibiting the early signs of a dementia-like illness.

Janet and Bruce's son (and Corinne's elder brother) Rob is dissatisfied with his life and lies, or at least embellishes the truth, frequently.

Through the series of vignettes that roll out over the course of the year, each told from the perspective of a different character, we gain insight into the undercurrents of frustration, annoyance, yearning and love that underpin the interrelationships between them. As in life, each character has deeply-held vulnerabilities that they don't communicate effectively with those closest to them, demonstrating that the things that we don't say or share with our nearest and dearest can hurt far more than what we do.

Author Rebecca Kauffman draws her characters with empathy, insight and occasional moments of humour, leading the reader to an appreciation of what drives these ordinary people's lives. She explores hope, loss, insecurities, disappointment and joy as the characters navigate this pivotal year of their lives. I'm not entirely sure of the reason that the book is set in 1995, rather than the present, although it's clear that the availability of mobile phones would have a significant impact on the ways the characters are able to interact.

I'd recommend I'll Come to You to readers who enjoy contemporary literary fiction, family dramas and character-driven stories. Based upon the limited audio excerpt I was able to access via NetGalley, I would also recommend the audiobook edition narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers. Notwithstanding its relatively compact format (223 pages), this is an emotionally perceptive and multi-layered story, exploring the universality of human experience and resilience.

Thanks to the author and publisher RB Media Recorded Books for the provision of a review copy.